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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27820693">Octopunk Advent 2020</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miraichaos/pseuds/Miraichaos'>Miraichaos</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Detroit Evolution - Fandom, Detroit: Become Human (Video Game), Octopunk Media's Detroit Evolution, On the Road Again - Octopunk Media, Paradisa - Michelle Iannantuono, Seven Deadly Synths (Short Film)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Octopunk Advent</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 18:20:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>35,197</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27820693</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miraichaos/pseuds/Miraichaos</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of one-shots for each Octopunk Advent prompt, featuring characters from Detroit Evolution, Paradisa, and Seven Deadly Synths!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Connor Bishara/Raphael, Jared/Mag/Seth (Seven Deadly Synths), Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>34</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Day 1: Mistletoe</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Connor finds himself in an embarrassing situation consisting of his insistent sister, mistletoe, and an oblivious angel<br/></p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>WARNING: Contains spoilers for Michelle Iannantuono's <em> Paradisa </em></p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>                Connor’s gaze flicked back and forth between the dancing flames in the fireplace and Raphael, who stared at the fire with a distant look on his face. It seemed that the angel wasn’t actually looking at the fire, rather his eyes were fixed on some invisible spot in the air between him and it.</p><p>                “Raphael?”</p><p>                Raphael’s head jerked as he suddenly whipped around in his chair toward the doorway of the room where Connor’s mother stood, her head peeking around the corner. “Yes, ma’am?” He blinked rapidly as if he was trying to wake from a deep slumber.</p><p>                “Sorry for startling you, dear. I forgot to mention it earlier, but are you allergic to anything?” Mrs. Bishara asked.</p><p>                Raphael shook his head. “No, ma’am, I’m not.”</p><p>                Mrs. Bishara nodded with a small smile, then disappeared from the doorway. Raphael turned back toward the fireplace the moment she left and resumed his blank staring.</p><p>                A glance around the room showed Connor that he wasn’t the only one who was watching Raphael. Aphrodite and Hephaestus, while talking to each other quietly about something Connor couldn’t make out, kept glancing at the angel by the fireplace. Clara, who sat on the floor next to the loveseat occupied by her godly companion and his wife, also had her eyes on Raphael. All of them knew what he had just gone through in just a short span of time. Michael’s death, secrets and lies, Lucifer’s tentative allyship, feelings for Connor, the discovery of Set’s crimes, the fighting… There was so much to process that it made everyone’s heads spin as they tried to sort through everything they knew and felt, though none of them were as shaken as Raphael. Even Connor, who had not only been plunged into a world of gods, goddesses, a heavenly war, angels, and blossoming feelings for one of those angels, couldn’t compare to Raphael’s turmoil. The angel kept his simmering emotions to himself, careful not to let Connor feel it through their bond, but there were moments when Raphael zoned out just enough that Connor could take a peek unnoticed. After just a single glance, Connor knew it would be too much for him to handle if the floodgates were to open all at once.</p><p>                For three minutes, Connor stared. He stared directly at Raphael, hardly ever blinking, with every ounce of intent he could summon. However, Raphael never noticed. He said nothing. He didn’t tear his gaze away from the imaginary point it was fixed on for a single second. At any other time, Raphael would have felt Connor’s gaze on him. He would have felt <em>everyone’s</em> gazes on him. He would have turned toward them. He would have asked why they were staring at him. He didn’t, though. He took no notice. He only ever responded when someone called his name loud enough for him to hear over his thoughts. It was almost like the moments following Michael’s death when Raphael had lost control. When he had glowed with bright blue power and nearly killed everyone, ally and enemy alike, as his power strangled them all. He’d been nearly impossible to reach then, just as he was now.</p><p>                Eventually, Connor couldn’t take the silence anymore. He didn’t want to push Raphael if he wasn’t ready to talk about everything that had happened, but he needed him to at least say <em>something</em>. Even if their conversation was trivial, as long as it served as enough of a distraction to prevent Raphael from continuing to be so distant, that was enough.</p><p>                Connor stood abruptly. He crossed the small gap between his chair and Raphael’s, though the angel took no notice of him until Connor’s hand touched his shoulder.</p><p>                “Raphael.”</p><p>                The angel glanced up at Connor with an unreadable, slightly dazed expression.</p><p>                “Come with me for a few minutes.” Connor tugged lightly on Raphael’s arm to get the angel to stand and follow him out of the room. He figured it would be better if they went somewhere private to talk, as perhaps Raphael would be willing to be more open if he had an audience of one rather than four.</p><p>                “Wait!”</p><p>                The two paused in the doorway and looked back at Clara, who stared at them with wide eyes. For a moment, Connor felt unease rise in his chest. He was worried that something was wrong with his sister until her gaze moved above Connor and Raphael and fixed on a point above their heads. Connor looked up in confusion, then felt his face catch fire when he saw what Clara was staring at.</p><p>                “Are you fu-“ Connor began, though he cut himself off before the curse word could slip past his lips. His mother could hear a curse from a lightyear away, and he had no intention of letting the heavenly beings he had fought alongside in a heavenly war against a corrupt god watch him, a grown man and former SEAL, get torn a new one by his mother for saying a curse word in his Nan’s house.</p><p>                For the first time since their arrival, Raphael spoke without being prompted. “What’s wrong?” he asked, looking back and forth between Connor and the mistletoe hanging over the doorway.</p><p>                Connor blinked. “It’s the mi— Wait.” He paused as a realization struck him. “Do… Do you know what that is?”</p><p>                Raphael’s head tilted in confusion. “I recognize it, yes. I see it is supposed to resemble mistletoe, and it does, though it is clearly a plastic imitation. Is that significant?”</p><p>                Connor wanted to smack his forehead against the wall until it bled. How was he supposed to explain this Raphael? <em>‘Hey, so humans have this dumb tradition where, if you get caught under the mistletoe with someone, you have to kiss them. So now we have to kiss each other in front of my sister and two Greek deities and hope my parents don’t see it because they’re still having trouble with the fact that their only son is gay.’</em> There was no way in hell he could say that out loud. Any of it.</p><p>                When Connor finally opened his mouth to try to explain, he was surprised by Raphael’s hand touching his forehead.</p><p>                “Are you ill, Connor? Your face is warm…and alarmingly flushed.”</p><p>                Clara burst out laughing, and Connor buried his face in his hands. He could feel his ears burning now, and he knew there was no way he could trust his voice to say anything.</p><p>                “You… You gotta—” Clara choked out at she tried to overcome her laughter enough to speak. She took a deep breath, then another, before trying again. “It’s a tradition, Raphael. A very <em>important</em> tradition. If two people get caught under a mistletoe together, whether it’s fake or real, you have to, you know—” She barely managed to pucker her lips in an attempt to get the message across before she was overtaken by laughter again due to a harsh glare from a <em>very</em> red-faced Connor.</p><p>                Raphael’s eyes went wide. “Wh—oh.” He looked at Connor, who had buried his face in his hands once again. “I see, but…” Raphael gently touched Connor’s shoulders and ducked his head to speak to him. “If you aren’t comfortable, I’m sure we could make an exception in this scenario. That is, if your sister is being truthful about the existence of this tradition.”</p><p>                “She is,” Connor confirmed with a sigh. He finally pulled his face out of his hands, though he still couldn’t bring himself to meet Raphael’s eyes. “I don’t care either way, but we don’t have to if you don’t want to.” That was…<em>kind of</em> true. Kissing Raphael wasn’t the problem, besides the way the thought made Connor’s face burn even hotter. He was worried more about what his parents would think if they walked in on him kissing a man they’d only just met in the middle of his Nan’s house.</p><p>                “Oh.” Raphael blinked. “Well, I am…not opposed,” he said slowly.</p><p>                Connor nodded, still unable to look at Raphael directly. However, he made the mistake of glancing at Clara instead, and caught the knowing smirk on her face. Raphael was okay with it, so there was no way Clara was letting Connor walk away.</p><p>                With a sigh, Connor relented. He was a former <em>SEAL. </em>If he could handle that, he could handle kissing a very attractive man who he had already kissed before. A very attractive man who he had fallen head over heels for, and who felt the same for him.</p><p>                In the blink of an eye Connor grabbed Raphael by the front of his shirt, yanked his face down to his level, pressed their lips together, then pulled away.</p><p>                “Bye!” Connor called over his shoulder as he grabbed a stunned Raphael by the wrist and pulled him out of the room toward the door to the porch without bothering to listen to whatever Clara, Hephaestus, and Aphrodite were shouting after them.</p><p>                It was cold when Connor and Raphael stepped outside, but Raphael was unbothered by the temperature, and Connor’s skin still burned so hot that he didn’t feel the chill.</p><p>                “Connor, is something wrong?” Raphael asked. There was something uncertain in his tone that interrupted Connor’s brain as it replayed the moment under the mistletoe on loop, handing his full attention to Raphael.</p><p>                “Oh, uh, yeah.” Connor scratched the back of his neck, unsure of how to continue. “I just… I was worried about you in there. Ever since… Ever since Michael, you’ve been, <em>off</em>, I guess,” he explained hesitantly, stepping toward Raphael and finally looking the angel in the eye. “I know he was your brother, and I know you have a lot to process, but the way you keep staring off into space… I just want to make sure you’re okay. Or, I don’t know, as okay as you can be, given the situation.” Connor cringed at his own words. There <em>had</em> to been a better way to express what he wanted to say, though he wasn’t a man known for his way with words.</p><p>                Raphael frowned. “I’m sorry for concerning you,” he said softly, sending a frigid wave of guilt through Connor’s veins.</p><p>                “Wait, I—Don’t apologize, Raphael. You have every right to be upset right now. Just…remember I’m here, okay? So is Clara, and Aphrodite and Hephaestus,” Connor reminded. He glanced down as his fingers brushed Raphael’s, then watched as Raphael gently wove their fingers together.</p><p>                “Thank you, Connor.” Raphael had a small smile on his face when Connor looked up to meet his eyes, and it made the human’s heart flood with warmth.</p><p>                Before Connor could reply, his mother’s shout interrupted him.</p><p>                “Connor! Come inside and help your sister set the table!”</p><p>                Raphael’s smile split into an amused grin. “We should go in. Your mother seems like someone we shouldn’t keep waiting.”</p><p>                Connor snorted. “Not if you feel like living to see another day,” he agreed. He started toward the door with Raphael on his heels, their hands still clasped together until they reached the door. After giving Raphael’s hand a gentle squeeze, Connor let go, and Raphael let his hand fall to his side. The two entered the house, and Connor sent Raphael a silent promise through their bond.</p><p>                <em>“We’ll talk more tonight.”</em></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Day 2: Sleigh Rides</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Seth surprises Jared and Mag with a special holiday gift</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>                “S-Seth. Ba-be. One thir-d of my s-soul. I love you, b-but if this s-surprise is-sn’t worth s-standing out in the c-cold for half an hour f-for, I will lit-terally kill y-you.” Mag’s teeth chattered loudly as she spoke. Even huddled between her two partners, she was freezing. It didn’t help that Seth and Jared had little body heat to share, the two of them also shivering under their coats.</p><p>                “It’s great. You guys are gonna love it, I swear.” Seth stubbornly kept his voice from tripping on the chills that wracked his body as he made his promise, then he turned and wrapped his arm around Mag to help keep her warm the best he could.</p><p>                “I’m<em> about</em> to s-swear,” Jared mumbled. He joined in on the group hug, though it was hardly any warmer than standing apart.</p><p>                Silence fell over the group as they waited. The area around them was wooded, and they stood at the edge of a small clearing that contained a dark wooden arch with a dim yellow light in front of a path into the woods, as well as a snow-covered parking lot with only enough space for a few cars.</p><p>                Only Seth knew what the three were waiting for, and he had refused to share the details no matter how many times his partner’s asked. He was intent on keeping his secret no matter what kind of interrogation Jared and Mag threw at him. He’d already held on for over a week. He couldn’t spoil the surprise minutes before it was due to arrive even if that meant enduring Mag and Jared’s distrustful glances as they shivered in his arms.</p><p>                “We’re getting coffee after this, and no, I do not take constructive criticism,” Mag declared just before she was seized by a loud sneeze.</p><p>                “Hell yes,” Jared agreed. He tugged at the scarf wrapped around his neck until it came loose, then gave it to Mag. The garment’s absence allowed for the bitter air to nip his neck directly, which made him flinch, though he ignored the chill the best he could until another scarf landed on his shoulder.</p><p>                Seth gave Jared a nod. “I’m the one who decided we needed to get here early. The least I can do to make up for it is make sure neither of you die of hypothermia.”</p><p>                Any other time, Jared would have at least <em>tried</em> to refuse. However, the air was cold. His neck was cold. Everything was fucking <em>cold</em>, and he wasn’t sure how much longer he could stand it.</p><p>                “Are you sure we can’t just wait in the car?” Jared asked as he looped Seth’s scarf around his neck.</p><p>                “No car.” Seth looked at their vehicle longingly. As much as he wanted to crawl back into it while they waited, with the heat turned up as high as it could go, he’d been given a clear set of rules when he booked the surprise. First, he had to make sure they were on time. Second, their car was to be completely off. Third, dress warm. It was guaranteed to be cold out, especially at night.</p><p>                Just as Jared slipped his phone from his pocket to check the time, the distant sound of bells reached his ears.</p><p>                “What the hell is that?” he asked warily, peering into the woods. A faint light glowed in the distance, then another, and another, each one closer to the three than the last. Something was moving toward them, but none of them could quite make out what it was.</p><p>                Mag squinted into the woods as the approaching mass drew closer, then shot Seth a wide-eyed look. “Is that a fucking <em>horse?</em>”</p><p>                Seth’s face broke out into a grin, though that was his only response to Mag’s question.</p><p>                The bulky figure moved closer, and the sound of bells grew louder. More lights came to life as the figure drew nearer. Two twin snorts echoed through the night.</p><p>                “<em>No fucking way</em>,” Jared and Mag breathed in sync as a horse-drawn sleigh slowed to a stop in front of them.</p><p>                “Party of three with ‘Seth’?” The driver asked from his seat atop the front of the sleigh.</p><p>                Seth nodded in confirmation, though his eyes never left Mag and Jared’s gawking faces. The pair’s gazes were locked on the deep red sleigh, which was lined with faint fairy lights. Two bright lanterns, one on the front and the other on the back, lit up the space around the sleigh. The bench within was covered in a plush blue cushion that padded both the seat and the backrest.</p><p>                Even more impressive than the sleigh were the two horses. They were darker than the night and enormous, towering over even Seth and Jared. Small bells dotted their harnesses and chimed softly when they shuffled in place.</p><p>                After giving his partners a moment to stare, Seth stepped behind them and nudged them toward the sleigh. He would have been fine watching Mag and Jared gape for hours, but he didn’t want to make the driver wait.</p><p>                With minimal struggling and a helping hand from the driver, the three climbed into the sleigh and settled together on the bench. Their gazes wandered, taking in the sights and lights around them.</p><p>                The driver clicked his tongue, and the sleigh lurched forward. Lanterns in the trees around them came to life as the sleigh approached them, illuminating the path ahead. More lights in a multitude of colors came into view beyond the trees in the shape of snowmen, reindeer, and other holiday decorations.</p><p>                Huddled together in the sleigh surrounded by lights while the bells on the horses’ harnesses chimed quietly, Jared, Mag, and Seth forgot about the cold. They took in the sights, pointed out their favorite decorations along the path, and joked and laughed to each other. They also took a moment to sit in silence and relax. They let everything beyond the world that they could see at that moment disappear. They forgot about the bills they had to pay, their jobs, Seth’s struggle with Brian and synthesizers; everything. Nothing mattered but the few lazy snowflakes that drifted down from the sky, the inflatable snowmen swaying in the breeze, and the reindeer-shaped plastic frames wrapped in bright white lights.</p><p>                When the sleigh returned to the wooden arch where Jared, Mag, and Seth had been picked up, the three couldn’t believe the ride was already over. It felt like they had been on the sleigh for mere minutes, though a glance at one of their phones showed that over an hour had passed.</p><p>                Awareness of the numbing chill of the cold air returned to the three as they climbed out of the sleigh and thanked the driver, who gave them a wave before clicking his tongue to spur the horses into motion. Jared, Mag, and Seth stood by and watched the sleigh disappear down the path, then hurried to their car to escape the cold.</p><p>                “Turn on the heat!”</p><p>                “I will! Give me a minute.”</p><p>                “<em>Jared I am about to die of hypothermia</em>.”</p><p>                Jared snorted in the driver’s seat as he turned the key in the ignition before cranking the dial on the heater to max. Warm air hissed through the car’s vents, and Mag quickly shoved her frozen hands in front of the nearest one. In the back seat, Seth pulled off his glasses as they began to fog up from the sudden change in temperature.</p><p>                “So,” Seth began, “what did you guys think?”</p><p>-000-</p><p>                Three coffees, a movie, and four bags of popcorn later, Jared, Mag, and Seth had finally gone to bed. They lay under a pile of blankets in a mess of limbs thrown lazily over each other, all three of them silent and still.</p><p>                “Hey, Seth.”</p><p>                Mag’s voice was quiet, so much so that her partners hardly heard it in their half-asleep state.</p><p>                “Hm?”</p><p>                “Thanks. For the sleigh ride,” she said. “It was really cool.”</p><p>                “Mhm,” Jared hummed in agreement. “Thanks babe.”</p><p>                Between his partners, Seth smiled.</p><p>                “Happy Holidays, you two.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Day 3: Decorating</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Gavin isn’t a fan of celebrating when it comes to holidays, mostly since holidays tend to be a family event and he doesn’t have any family. However, with the two finally living together, Nines insists on decorating his and Gavin’s apartment. Gavin is reluctant to help, though by the time they're done, he just might decide that the holidays are worth the effort.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>                “Nines, for the last time, I don’t give a shit about holidays,” Gavin complained. He picked up a box of Christmas lights Nines had bought on his way home from work. “This is just more shit Asshole will chew on while we’re at work.”</p><p>                Nines took the box from Gavin and pulled out the string of multi-colored lights within. “Decorating for the holidays is a common practice, especially in the United States. You said you’ve never decorated your home before, so I think you should at least try it, Gavin. Perhaps you will like it more than you think.”</p><p>                “Why would I want to waste my night off hanging up shit that I’ll have to take down in a few weeks anyway?”</p><p>                “Because this ‘shit’ is visually appealing. If you don’t want to do any of the actual decorating, that’s fine. I can do it myself. I would like to see what it’s like, considering I’ve never decorated my home before, either.”</p><p>                Gavin threw his hands up in defeat. “<em>Fine</em>,” he groaned, picking up another box of lights. Not a single part of him wanted to decorate his apartment, which he and Nines now shared, but he also knew he wouldn’t be able to sit and stare at whatever shit was on TV while his partner crisscrossed the room with the many decorations he’d amassed in the past few days. There was a lot to put up, too, and even though Nines was likely the most efficient android ever created, even he would need hours to do everything himself. The sooner the decorating was finished, the sooner Gavin could sit Nines down on the couch and watch shitty movies with him until he eventually fell asleep.</p><p>                After wrangling the string of lights out of the box in his hands, Gavin glanced around the apartment. He had no idea where lights were supposed to go, besides on a tree, though he and Nines didn’t have one.</p><p>                “Where should the lights go?” Gavin asked. “They need to be high enough up that Asshole won’t be able to chew on them.”  He looked to Nines, who had four string of lights wrapped around his hands.</p><p>                Nines’ LED went yellow as he searched the room for somewhere to put the lights. He narrowed his eyes, looking back and forth before his gaze settled on the window. “What about here?” he asked as he began to wrap a string of lights around the curtain rod. Nines glanced at Gavin in search of approval, and the detective shrugged.</p><p>                “Sure.”</p><p>                Gavin joined Nines at the window and reached up to start wrapping his lights around the rod, though he struggled to loop the string around the top. Even standing on his toes and straining, he couldn’t reach and had to resort to unsuccessfully trying to throw the lights over the rod.</p><p>                A pale hand covered Gavin’s, then tugged at the lights he was holding.</p><p>                “Let me help,” Nines offered.</p><p>                Gavin glared at his partner, refusing to give up the lights. However, after a short stare-down, he relented and passed the lights to Nines. “Why the hell did I let a fuckin’ ten foot tall Terminator install the curtain rods?” Gavin mumbled to himself.</p><p>                “I’m only a few inches taller than you, Gavin.”</p><p>                “And that’s ‘a few’ inches too tall.”</p><p>                Nines swallowed a snarky response and nodded toward the pile of decorations that sat on the floor in the middle of the room. “I’ll hang the rest of the lights. There are plenty more decorations that will be within your reach.”</p><p>                Gavin huffed as he stormed over to the pile and picked up a wreath off the top. It smelled faintly of cinnamon, the scent not so strong that it invaded his airways or stung, but enough so that he could smell it from a short distance. It was nice, actually, not that he’d ever admit it.</p><p>                The decoration process continued rather slowly despite both Gavin and Nines devoting their full attention to it. Neither were quite sure of where different decorations were traditionally placed, as neither had celebrated the holidays in their home before, which left them guessing and hanging things where they fit. Lights looped around the curtain rods in the living room and bedroom, and a few strings lined the doorways. A wreath hung on the inside of the apartment door. Nines had thrown a deep red blanket dotted with white snowflakes over the back of the couch, and Gavin reluctantly allowed a penguin plushie wearing a Santa hat to reside on the coffee table.</p><p>                “Are we done yet?” Gavin glanced around the living room, but found no sign of any more hidden bags of decorations.</p><p>                A small smile crept across Nines’ face. “Not yet…” the android answered vaguely. He crossed the room, then paused by the door where three large, plain boxes sat. The boxes had arrived over a week ago and were never opened. Nines already knew what was inside, and Gavin had been too busy with work to stop and think about investigating them.</p><p>                Nines grabbed a pocket knife belonging to Gavin off the coffee table, then returned to the boxes and cut open the top of each one. Once he finished, he closed the knife and slid it into his pocket before reaching into one box and pulling out something long and green. He turned to Gavin with a grin.</p><p>                The moment Gavin realized what his partner had been hiding in plain sight, he rolled his eyes and tossed his head back with a deep sigh. “You’ve gotta be fuckin’ kidding me…” he breathed. “You bought a goddamn <em>tree</em>?”</p><p>                “Yes, I did. Well, I bought an artificial one, but it <em>is</em> still a tree,” Nines confirmed. He picked up one of the boxes, carried it to Gavin, and dropped it at the detective’s feet. “Tina told me it was the most important decoration.”</p><p>                Gavin made a mental note to give Tina hell the next time he saw her, then pulled another piece of tree out of the box. He glared at it as he turned it around and looked it over. “So how the hell does this thing work?”</p><p>                Nines dug around in the box until his fingers found paper. “We have to assemble the base and the trunk, then the instructions should tell us which branches go on which level. They’re color-coded.”</p><p>                Sure enough, when Gavin glanced at the metal end of the branch in his hand, he spotted a small colored band.</p><p>                “I’ll take care of the trunk and base if you would take all the branches out and sort them into piles by color. The website I bought it from said it is easiest to sort the branches then attach them layer by layer instead of attaching them at random,” Nines explained as he flipped through the instruction book. He then held it out to Gavin, who slowly accepted it. “Here are the instructions in case you need them.”</p><p>                For a moment, Gavin considered refusing to help. They’d been decorating for over two hours already, and he doubted assembling the tree Nines had bought would be quick. The meager time off from his and Nines’ busy work lives was slipping through his fingers like sand with nothing but lights, snowflakes, and colors to show for it. However, with one glance at Nines, Gavin pressed his lips into a firm line and set to work. A single look at the barely-contained excitement on Nines’ face was all it took to make up Gavin’s mind.</p><p>-000-</p><p>                “Uh, Nines? Are you sure the green ones go on first?” Gavin asked as he stared at the base of the tree. He’d attached the first set of branches to the trunk, though they looked oddly short.</p><p>                Nines, who sat on the floor surrounded by branches as he straightened and fanned out each one so they actually resembled real branches rather than green-wrapped rods, glanced at the partially-assembled tree and frowned. “Those aren’t the right ones.”</p><p>                “You said the green ones go on first. These are the green ones,” Gavin stated. Frustration simmered in his chest as he yanked a branch off the tree and tossed it at Nines, who caught it easily and checked its colored band.</p><p>                Nines’ brow furrowed as he stared at the branch. Then, he glanced around at the piles of branches that surrounded him and plucked one from a stack. He held the two side-by-side, the second branch significantly longer than the one Gavin had given him.</p><p>                “What the fuck?” Gavin growled, storming over to Nines. He crouched in front of his partner and looked at the colored bands on each one.</p><p>                “There are two sets of green branches. The darker ones go on first, and those lighters ones you put on the tree are supposed to be somewhere in the middle,” Nines explained. He held out the longer branch to Gavin, who snatched it with an angry groan.</p><p>                “God fucking <em>dammit!</em>” Gavin growled. He seethed as he yanked the rest of the branches off the tree and threw them aside before replacing them with the ones with dark green bands. His anger had hardly diminished by the time he finished. He didn’t bother asking Nines for the next color, not trusting the android to be specific after the mistake with the first layer, and instead snatched the instruction book off the coffee table where he had abandoned it earlier.</p><p>                The next layer was pink. Gavin spotted the pile behind Nines, though when he stepped around the android to gather the branches, something touched his leg and made him jerk away so suddenly that he nearly tripped.</p><p>                “What the fu-“</p><p>                Gavin cut off abruptly when he turned around and spotted Nines staring up at him. The android had a branch in each of his hands, and the corners of his lips were curved upward while his LED glowed bright blue. Nines reached toward Gavin with one of the branches and poked his leg just as he had done moments ago.</p><p>                Before Nines could act again, Gavin seized a branch from the floor and swatted his partner’s arm. The detective danced away when Nines reached out to return the favor.</p><p>                The smirk on Nines’ face grew as he rose to his feet and stalked toward Gavin, who hurried around Nines in as wide an arc as he could muster in the confines of the room.</p><p>                The two went back and forth, exchanging blows just light enough that they didn’t hurt. They swatted at each other’s arms, hands, and legs while sidestepping and hopping over the mess of branches on the floor.</p><p>                At one point, Gavin scooped a second branch off the floor and swung it at Nines, who caught it in the hand he’d freed up by flinging one of his branches at Gavin. Nines easily ripped the branch from Gavin’s hand and flipped it around to use for himself.</p><p>                “Hey, android strength is cheating!” Gavin accused.</p><p>                Nines shook his head and his smirk widened as he lunged for Gavin. “Using the abilities I was programmed with is not cheating, Gavin.”</p><p>                The pair continued their battle until Gavin managed to get behind Nines. Believing victory was within reach, Gavin swung for his partner only to be stopped when Nines whirled around and seized the branch before it could touch his back. Gavin hardly had time to blink before a foot swept his legs out from under him and sent him falling.</p><p>                Just before Gavin could crash into the ground, Nines caught him. The android knelt over Gavin with a branch poised centimeters over Gavin’s throat as if it was a blade.</p><p>                “I believe I win.” There was a satisfied smirk on Nines’ face that matched his smart-ass tone.</p><p>                Gavin felt his face flush with warmth and tried in vain to cover his embarrassment with an eye roll. “Like I ever had a chance against the fuckin’ Terminator.”</p><p>                Nines’ smirk broke into a small grin as he took a moment to watch the temperature of Gavin’s face rise. He then tossed aside his branch and rose to his feet, pulling Gavin with him so they were both standing. “Better luck next time, Gavin,” Nines teased as he stepped away and returned to his spot on the floor amongst the branches, which had been scattered during their playful scuffle.</p><p>                Gavin scowled as he wandered around the room collecting the pink-banded branches to put on the tree.</p><p>                The two finished assembling the tree with minimal distractions only for Nines to bring one last box into the living room. The inside was packed with extra lights, ornaments, and strands of garland.</p><p>                “You’re fuckin’ kidding,” Gavin mumbled as he watched Nines pull packages of decorations from the box and tear into them. Gavin made an entire show of reluctance and scowling as he slowly joined Nines in decorating the tree, though the light feeling of excitement that had been growing in his chest had become too powerful for him to ignore.</p><p>                Once the tree was dripping with bulbs and wrapped in garland and lights, Gavin stepped back to admire their work. The tree looked <em>good</em>, enough so that Gavin wouldn’t have found it out of place if it stood as decoration at a store. It felt strange that something so neat and pretty existed in his house, and he found it hard to believe that he had helped make it what it was.</p><p>                “One more thing,” Nines said as he stepped away from Gavin’s side and hurried to the door.</p><p>                There was one more box on the floor, one much smaller than the others had been. Gavin hadn’t even noticed it until Nines picked it up and carried it over.</p><p>                “Tina told me that people traditionally put something like a star or an angel on the top of their tree, and I intended to until I found this…” Nines trailed off as he opened the box. He reached inside and carefully pulled out something Gavin didn’t recognize until Nines set it atop the tree and plugged it in.</p><p>                A huff of laughter slipped out of Gavin’s throat as he eyed the very odd tree-topper Nines had chosen. “Is that…<em>an LED</em>?”</p><p>                Nines nodded, his face splitting into a grin once again. “Apparently, following the Revolution, an android came up with the idea. The angel and star traditionally used by humans have a religious significance to their origin, though many androids have no interest in human religion. Whether we chose to keep our LEDs or not, they are something shared by all androids and significant to us and who we are.”</p><p>                “I like it,” Gavin said, and his words were honest. He wasn’t religious either, nor did he know much or care about what kind of decoration went on what. The LED was a good choice. It was significant to Nines, and that’s all that mattered to Gavin, though he also enjoyed the way it matched Nines’ LED when the android was genuinely happy. Bright blue lights and bright blue eyes, both shining so brightly that Gavin couldn’t stare long no matter how much he wanted to watch them forever.</p><p>-000-</p><p>                The sound of the TV was a low drone. Nines had turned it down after Gavin fell asleep so no noises would wake him. The android paid no attention to what was on screen, instead focused on Gavin’s head in his lap where the detective had taken to laying hours ago when sleep began to claim him.</p><p>                Gently, Nines swept hair out of Gavin’s face and smiled down at the man. A year ago, this reality he now lived was merely a dream. He never would have believed he would find himself living in a shared apartment with Gavin that was decorated for the holidays while his partner fell asleep in his lap. Nines from a year ago would have said he didn’t care about holidays, or that they didn’t matter much to him. When he had been alone, self-isolating from his friends out of fear of intruding, that had been the case. Now, though…</p><p>                Maybe the holidays weren’t so bad after all.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Day 4: Ugly Sweater</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Connor dons his ugliest sweater to prank Raphael. Knowing an angel who can't lie and doesn't know about the tradition of ugly sweaters is too good an opportunity to pass up.</p>
<p>WARNING: Slight spoilers for <em> Paradisa </em></p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>                “<em>Connor!</em>” Clara gasped as her brother stood in front of her holding a sweater in each hand. Both were horrendous messes of color, patterns, and prints in the theme of winter and the accompanying holidays.</p>
<p>                “Just tell me. Which one is worse?” Connor shook the sweaters in his hands to try to draw Clara’s attention to them, though she crossed her arms and shook her head in refusal.</p>
<p>                “There’s literally <em>no way</em> I’m helping you with this. It’s so mean!”</p>
<p>                “It’s not <em>mean</em>,” Connor insisted. “It’s…<em>a learning experience</em>. Now hurry up and tell me which one of these looks worse. I’ve been keeping Raphael out of my head all day so he doesn’t find out about this, but he’ll figure it out if I don’t pick one soon.”</p>
<p>                Clara sighed and fixed her brother with a stern look. “I’d be lying if I said I don’t want to see how he reacts, but I also don’t want an angel who could kill me by blinking to have a <em>reason</em> to kill me by blinking, so if anyone asks, I didn’t say anything,” she warned. “Left hand.”</p>
<p>                Connor glanced at the sweater Clara had chosen. It was bright orange, had a crooked Christmas tree with huge red bulbs plastered across the front, and pale cherub angels that looked more blob-like than humanoid dotted the material alongside lopsided snowflakes. The garment was so ugly and bright that it was hard to look at. In any other situation, Connor would prefer being stabbed to death by a spectre over voluntarily wearing the sweater. However, the plan he had concocted was worth the suffering.</p>
<p>                After returning to his room, Connor slipped on the chosen sweater over his faded t-shirt, then tossed the extra one aside to be put away later. He glanced out the window; no vehicles in the driveway meant his parents were out. The only ones in the house were Clara, Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Raphael, and Connor himself.</p>
<p>                <em>Go to the living room. I’ll be there in a minute</em>. Connor sent the brief text to Clara and smothered a mischievous laugh. This plan <em>was</em> mean. It was also fun, though, and Connor wasn’t the only one who was going to be amused.</p>
<p>-000-</p>
<p>                True to his word, Connor made his way to the living room minutes after texting Clara. He’d felt Raphael prodding at their bond as he waited, and instead of shutting the angel out and making him suspicious, Connor had sent a silent assurance that he’d meet Raphael in the living room after he ‘put on a warmer shirt’.</p>
<p>                “Hey,” Connor greeted when he strolled casually into the living room. He gave Aphrodite, Hephaestus, and Clara a wave as he walked directly to the loveseat Raphael was perched on and dropped lazily onto the unoccupied side. Raphael had been staring off into space, though he swiftly exited his thoughts when Connor entered the room.</p>
<p>                Raphael’s eyes widened when they landed on Connor’s sweater. “H-hello, Connor.”</p>
<p>                Connor flashed Raphael a smile in return, then followed the angel’s gaze to his sweater. “Oh.” Connor gestured toward the sweater. “This was a gift from my Nan. She got one for me and one for Clara…” He glanced at his sister. “When was that?” he asked.</p>
<p>                Clara shrugged. “Uh, I forgot.” Her voice wavered slightly as she tried to suppress her amusement over the confused expression on Raphael’s face as he looked at anything but Connor’s horrendous sweater.</p>
<p>                “It was a few years ago, but I still love it. It’s my favorite shirt, actually,” Connor lied with a shy grin. He looked Raphael dead in the eye, still maintaining his false cheer. “What do you think?”</p>
<p>                Raphael squinted at the sweater as if the vibrant color was blinding him. “It…” he began slowly, “is very bright?”</p>
<p>                Connor nodded. “Do you like it?”</p>
<p>                “I…” Raphael’s confused expression grew strained, and Connor struggled to maintain his screen of false obliviousness to the angel’s struggle. He would have been worried about Raphael digging in his mind through their bond and potentially realizing that Connor was lying, though Raphael had constructed an impenetrable wall between their minds already. It seemed he was even more desperate to hide his true opinion than Connor had expected.</p>
<p>                “I think it looks <em>wonderful</em>,” Aphrodite complimented loudly from the sofa across the room. She gave Connor a convincing smile. Next to her, Clara and Hephaestus nodded in agreement, though Clara had hidden her mouth behind her sleeve to cover the amused smirk she could no longer contain.</p>
<p>                Connor watched Raphael expectantly. The angel’s eyes danced back and forth between Connor’s sweater and his face while his own expression went taut.</p>
<p>                “It is…” Raphael paused as he desperately searched for a way around his dilemma. “I believe it is…seasonally appropriate.”</p>
<p>                Clara was the first one to break. She burst into a fit of laughter that left her doubled-over in her seat. Next to her, Aphrodite was smirking while Hephaestus lightly patted Clara’s back like he was afraid she might choke.</p>
<p>                Connor cracked when confusion seized Raphael’s face once again. He snorted in amusement, then set a heavy hand on Raphael’s shoulder. “Okay, I’m sorry.” Connor let a chuckle escape him. “That was a complete lie.”</p>
<p>                Raphael’s brow furrowed as he searched Connor’s expression for some kind of clarity. “I… I’m not understanding.”</p>
<p>                “It was a <em>prank</em>,” Connor admitted. He reached over his shoulder, grabbed the sweater back of the sweater, and tugged it off before tossing it on the arm of the loveseat. “A few years ago, Clara and I bought each other the worst holiday sweaters we could find as prank gifts to each other. This thing is ugly as hell. I hate it.”</p>
<p>                “I see, but…” Raphael trailed off. He glanced hesitantly at the sweater. “Why would anyone create something that <em>awful</em>?”</p>
<p>                Clara answered before Connor could open his mouth to explain. “So, basically, humans have this tradition where we all wear ugly holiday sweaters. Whoever has the ugliest one wins. We only wear them during parties, though. No one with at least a single brain cell would be caught dead wearing one in public, especially after the winter holidays have already passed.”</p>
<p>                Raphael nodded, though his expression remained unchanged. He looked to Connor. “What was the point of asking my opinion if you already knew your sweater was an unfortunate creation?”</p>
<p>                Connor nearly laughed again at the words “unfortunate creation,” but managed to hold himself together long enough to explain and give Raphael an apologetic shoulder squeeze. “I thought it would be funny to ask if you like it. I figured, since you can’t lie, you’d either not answer, or try to come up with something truthful but not necessarily bad. Kind of like ‘seasonally appropriate’. I knew you probably wouldn’t want to admit its the ugliest thing you’ve ever seen if you thought I loved it,” he explained. “It was mean, I know, but your <em>face</em>…” Connor lost himself to laugher.</p>
<p>                “Oh.” </p>
<p>                “Really though, I’m sorry. That was mean.”</p>
<p>                Raphael shook his head, then offered Connor a small smile. “It was humorous, in hindsight, and I will admit that I find Set’s spectres easier to look at. Though now I worry for the day you ask for my opinion on a tasteless garment you actually like.”</p>
<p>                Connor elbowed Raphael gently. “I won’t, I promise.”</p>
<p>                On the other side of the room, Clara finally recovered from her fit of laughter. Remnants of tears lingered in her eyes as she collected herself with a deep, slow breath before looking at Raphael. “If you ever see another person in an ugly holiday sweater, <em>I beg of you</em>, tell them it is ‘seasonally appropriate’. <em>Please</em>.”</p>
<p>                “Would I receive a displeased response if I made that comment?” Raphael asked.</p>
<p>                Connor hummed in contemplation, then shook his head. “I doubt it.”</p>
<p>-000-</p>
<p>                In the evening when the Bisharas and their godly companions sat down for dinner, Clara and Connor nearly fell out of their seats when Raphael told their father that his green and white holiday sweater was ‘seasonally appropriate’.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Day 5: Gingerbread</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The Bishara siblings teach their immortal companions about another holiday tradition, and Raphael meets his mortal enemy: the gingerbread house. </p>
<p>WARNING: Slight spoilers for <em> Paradisa </em></p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>                “You’re telling me that humans build structures out of food that they manhandle for hours, then they <em>eat </em>it?” Raphael asked incredulously. His expression was a mixture of confusion and revulsion.</p>
<p>                Clara shrugged as she picked a red M&amp;M out of one of the candy-filled bowls on the kitchen table and popped it in her mouth. “Still tastes fine.”</p>
<p>                Hephaestus frowned. “Why would someone want to destroy something they just spent hours of their short mortal life creating? It seems like a bit of a waste…”</p>
<p>                “I mean, some people leave them as they are. Except when you let them sit out for too long the frosting hardens, things start falling off, and your entire house will smell like the Pillsbury doughboy’s asshole for three months,” Connor explained from where he stood at the counter. He wrestled with a grocery bag packed with as many sheets of gingerbread as he could find at the store.</p>
<p>                It had been Clara’s idea to introduce their heavenly companions to the holiday tradition of gingerbread houses. She’d mentioned them off-handedly in conversation earlier in the day, and no one but Connor had known what she was referring to. Before he knew it, Connor was walking down the candy aisle at the grocery store holding a basket while Clara plucked bags of candy off the shelves and tossed them inside.</p>
<p>                Connor stacked the packs of gingerbread on the middle of the kitchen table while Clara, Aphrodite, Athena, Hephaestus, and Raphael waited. Once all the materials were set out, Connor searched the kitchen for six knives and handed them out before finally joining the others at the table.</p>
<p>                “How does one go about beginning construction?” Aphrodite asked. She fixed Clara with a curious look as the human scooped up a glob of frosting with her knife and slathered it in uneven lines across her plate.</p>
<p>                “You just do whatever you want, really. You can build walls first, or a floor, whatever; anything goes. We call them gingerbread ‘houses,’ but you don’t necessarily have to build a house,” Clara explained.</p>
<p>               Connor followed his sister’s example, though he was much less hasty than Clara had been.</p>
<p>                The four heavenly beings at the table watched the humans start their work, though they made no move to begin themselves. They merely stared in an attempt to understand what they were meant to do.</p>
<p>                It was Hephaestus who finally made the first move.</p>
<p>                “It’s a shame that the longevity of the materials is poor, but I will do my best,” he declared, knife in hand. He grabbed one of the open cans of frosting, but unlike the Bisharas, took only a little scoop. He worked meticulously from the start, and no one doubted that whatever he produced would be far greater than what anyone else at the table could achieve.</p>
<p>                Athena was next. “I’m not sure how these gingerbread houses are traditionally constructed, but surely the structural integrity is the most important part.” She took one of the gingerbread sheets and cut out two identical pieces which she slathered with frosting and stuck together. “Not even an Icon will be able to pierce my creation when I’m finished.”</p>
<p>                Aphrodite shook her head at Athena. “Didn’t you hear what Connor said? These gingerbread homes will break on their own with time no matter how strong you make it. What <em>actually</em> matters is how it <em>looks</em>.”</p>
<p>                “No. Everyone knows that a sturdy home is of far greater value than one that is pleasing to the eye.”</p>
<p>                “What’s the point of putting forth effort if the product will be so unsightly that you can’t bear to look at it? Especially when the appearance will only deteriorate further with time?”</p>
<p>                “Exactly. It’ll get ugly anyway, so it doesn’t matter what it looks like as long as it’s strong. Hephaestus will agree with me,” Athena argued.</p>
<p>                Aphrodite and Athena both looked to Hephaestus for a response, but the god was fully engrossed in his work and seemed to be oblivious to the pair’s disagreement.</p>
<p>                “Please, you two, try to get along. We are guests here,” Raphael reminded from where he sat next to Connor. His plate was still empty, and he eyed the bowls of candy warily.</p>
<p>                The glares Raphael got in response would have instilled fear in any one else if they were on the receiving end, though the angel was unfazed.</p>
<p>                “Are you going to build something, Raphael?” Connor asked. He had erected the walls of his house already and was frosting the tops of them to attach a roof, though his eyes went to Raphael’s empty plate as he spoke.</p>
<p>                Raphael nodded. “Of course.” he reached for the frosting, took a heaping scoop, then hesitantly plopped it on his plate. The angel started at the glob for a moment, unsure of how to progress. He poked at the frosting uneasily before shrugging and spreading it across the entire plate in an uneven layer.</p>
<p>-000-</p>
<p>                Connor should have known gingerbread houses weren’t a good idea. Only Hephaestus worked peacefully. Aphrodite and Athena constantly bickered over the importance of aesthetic versus structural security, and both kept adding to the other’s creation to the point that Aphrodite’s gingerbread house was made up of more things Athena had added than that which Aphrodite had contributed. Athena’s gingerbread house was the opposite, made with more effort from Aphrodite than Athena herself.</p>
<p>                Across the table, Raphael glared at his mess of a plate with a permanent crease in his furrowed brow. His ‘house’ was a mess of crumbs and candies scattered across a pool of frosting where they had fallen after his many failed attempts to build any kind of structure. It was as if the angel was cursed. Nothing would stay upright on his plate no matter how much frosting he buried it in, even when Connor finally took pity and turned away from his own work to try to help.</p>
<p>                Clara added to the chaos by sabotaging Connor. Every time he looked away from his gingerbread house, whether it was to make sure Athena and Aphrodite weren’t killing each other or to keep Raphael from smiting his plate out of frustration, Clara picked the candy off of her brother’s creation and ate the evidence. Of course, the moment Connor realized why pieces of his gingerbread house were disappearing, he retaliated by stealing candy off of Clara’s.</p>
<p>                The group didn’t settle down until the gingerbread ran out and the candy bowls ran low.</p>
<p>                “O-kay, I think we’re done here,” Connor declared as he looked around the table at the depleted building materials.</p>
<p>                Hephaestus nodded, having finally exited his hyper-fixation on his work. “I believe so,” he agreed.</p>
<p>                All eyes went to Hephaestus’ plate and weren’t shocked to see that his gingerbread house was beyond incredible. His creation extended beyond the reaches of his plate, and not a single piece of candy was misplaced. Every decision had been made for a reason.</p>
<p>                “How the hell did you build a <em>treehouse?</em>” Clara groaned in envy. She stared at her godly companion’s ‘house’. It did, in fact, look as much like a tree with a massive treehouse in the branches as something made of candy and gingerbread could. The treehouse was complete with perfect, identical frosting shingles, pretzel windows with frosting shutters, and a cloak of green M&amp;M leaves over the gingerbread branches.</p>
<p>                “It was difficult when I began, though I am satisfied with the result,” Hephaestus admitted. His gaze shifted from his treehouse to Connor. “I don’t intend to consume this, but I will store it elsewhere so your house does not, as you said, ‘smell like the Pillsbury doughboy’s asshole for three months,’” the god quoted.</p>
<p>                Clara swallowed a snort. “It looks great, Hephaestus,” she said.</p>
<p>                “Agreed.” Aphrodite poked tentatively at her own gingerbread house. It was messy, with globs of frosting seeping from the narrow spaces between the large slabs of gingerbread. Most of the candies she had added had fallen off during Athena’s manhandling. “I wish mine looked as neat, but <em>someone</em> insisted on unwanted assistance.” She shot Athena a glare.</p>
<p>                Athena rose. “My gingerbread house is not aesthetically pleasing either,” she said with a look down at her equally as messy plate, “but that isn’t what matters.” Before anyone could stop her, her sword appeared in her hands. The goddess swung her blade directly at her and Aphrodite’s gingerbread houses. The sword crashed into them one after the other, and both exploded. Candy, frosting, and gingerbread flew through the air in a wide arc, narrowly missing those seated at the table as the rubble rained down upon the floor.</p>
<p>                Silence enveloped the room as everyone stared at the mess on the floor. Athena, still holding her sword, exchanged glances with Aphrodite, then the two burst out into laughter simultaneously.</p>
<p>                “It seems, in the end, no amount of reinforcement <em>or</em> decoration did them any good,” Aphrodite said. “They’re just as horrendous in pieces as they were whole.”</p>
<p>                Athena nodded in agreement, then looked at Connor, who stared at the mess on the floor. Athena’s smile faded, and her sword disappeared. “Oh, uh… We’ll clean this up, of course.”</p>
<p>                Aphrodite followed Athena’s gaze to Connor’s unreadable expression, then she rose and hurried toward the mess on the floor.</p>
<p>                “The broom is in the closet,” Connor called over his shoulder at the two goddesses.</p>
<p>                “I’d ask how you knew that since you suck at cleaning, but given how much time you spent in there-“ Clara began, only to be cut off by Connor.</p>
<p>                “Hey, I’m not the only one,” he reminded.</p>
<p>                Clara raised her hands in surrender, then snatched a piece of candy from Connor’s gingerbread house and ate it.</p>
<p>                “Stop it!”</p>
<p>                “What? It already looks like shit from how much we’ve eaten.”</p>
<p>                “You mean how much <em>you’ve</em> eaten. Yours doesn’t look any better, either.”</p>
<p>                “And?” Clara pulled a piece of candy from her own gingerbread house and popped it into her mouth. “Still tastes good. Don’t throw it away. I’ll eat it.”</p>
<p>                Connor sighed and ate a piece of candy off of his plate. “Might as well. The candy is new, anyway.”</p>
<p>                Next to Connor, Raphael was still glaring at his plate. He prodded Connor through their bond to get his attention. “Would you like this? It looks…awful, and I am not fond of the idea of consuming it myself.”</p>
<p>                “I doubt I’ll even eat all of mine before I give up and throw it out.” Connor poked at Raphael’s plate. It was mostly frosting. After many failed attempts, Raphael had given up on constructing a house and instead took Connor’s suggestion to making something that resembled a garden. Slabs of gingerbread walkways were surrounded by candy plants stuck in a layer of frosting so thick that it rose above the edges of the plate. “Go ahead and throw it out if you don’t want it, I guess. Otherwise it’ll sit until the frosting hardens and starts flaking off everywhere.”</p>
<p>                Raphael nodded slowly, then picked up his plate and took it to the trash. He then returned to the table and helped Connor and Clara as they began to clean up the mess that the group had created while Athena and Aphrodite continued collecting the smashed pieces of their gingerbread houses from the floor. Hephaestus had disappeared with his treehouse, likely making arrangements to take it wherever he intended to store it.</p>
<p>                When the table and floor were clean, Clara, Athena, and Aphrodite went to the living room to see what was on TV. Connor and Raphael stayed in the kitchen to clean the dishes.</p>
<p>                “I apologize for wasting what you bought. It seems that, while I could face an army of spectres on my own, I am incapable of constructing a small home made of unhealthy food,” Raphael said as he dried and put away the dishes Connor was scrubbing in the sink.</p>
<p>                Connor paused and looked at the angel next to him. Raphael’s shoulders were slumped in defeat, and he grimaced at the bowl he was drying. Connor nudged him lightly and gave him a small smile. “Hey, don’t worry about it. That was actually kind of fun, even if it got a little out of hand.”</p>
<p>                Raphael chuckled lightly and shook his head. “For you, perhaps. I was prepared to follow Athena’s example and launch my disastrous creation into the next realm with my Icon.”</p>
<p>                It was Connor’s turn to laugh. “Please don’t. I would prefer not to spend the next two hours scraping frosting off the ceiling.”</p>
<p>                “Of course. I believe we’ve all had our fair share of excitement today,” Raphael agreed.</p>
<p>                Connor smirked and opened his mouth to speak again, though he was interrupted by Clara calling from the other room.</p>
<p>                “If you two are done flirting, hurry up and get over here! They did a gingerbread house episode on The Great British Bake Off!”</p>
<p>                Raphael and Connor exchanged glances. Both had a dusting of pink on their cheeks, though the change in color was much more prominent on Raphael’s pale skin.</p>
<p>                Raphael cleared his throat. “I believe we’ve been summoned.”</p>
<p>                Connor nodded. “Well, let’s go see how people who aren’t the Greek god of art and sculpture but still know what they’re doing build a gingerbread house.”</p>
<p>                The pair finished the dishes, then rushed to the living room where they ignored the knowing looks cast at them and their flushed faces.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Day 6: Snowballs</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Gavin should have known better than to pick a fight with CyberLife's most advanced android</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>                If Gavin was any good at thinking before acting, he would have realized he was making a mistake before he started. However, Gavin was too impulsive for contemplation, and he could only blame himself for the misfortune that would befall him.</p>
<p>                The thought first came to mind as Gavin and Nines wandered along the Riverwalk after work. It was dark out, and a light shower of snow fell around them. Gavin watched the fat, fluffy flakes descend to the blanket of white on the ground, then glanced at Nines. The android had his back turned to his partner with his eyes on the water. He was completely unsuspecting, and if Gavin was careful…</p>
<p>                Slowly and silently, Gavin crossed the shoveled sidewalk to the snow-covered grass. He scooped up a handful of frigid snow that made his bare hands tingle, then before Nines could turn around and notice what was about to happen, Gavin launched the snowball.</p>
<p>                Snow exploded against Nines’ back when the snowball hit home, and the android immediately turned around. His LED was bright red as he scanned his surroundings only to spot Gavin watching him with half a smirk on his lips. Nines’ LED went yellow, and his expression changed from concern to a mix of disbelief and something vaguely threatening.</p>
<p>                “Is there something amusing that you wish to share with me?” Nines asked.</p>
<p>                Gavin shoved his frozen hands into his pockets and shrugged. “Nah. I’m just, you know…trying not to get bored standing out in the snow at eleven o’clock at night.”</p>
<p>                Nines took a menacing step toward Gavin. “Personally, I believe the decorations the city has installed for the holidays are anything but boring to observe, but if you intend to find another way to occupy your time…” Nines took another step. “All you had to do was ask.”</p>
<p>                Gavin stepped back into the snow as Nines stalked toward him. He scooped up another handful of snow, ignoring the way the cold bit his fingers, and launched it at Nines. The snowball smacked into Nines’ chest, but the android continued unbothered.</p>
<p>                “Shit!” Gavin hissed when Nines reached down and picked a clump of snow off the ground. The detective dodged and ran left when a snowball arced through the air where his head had been half a second ago, then picked up as much snow as he could hold in his hands, turned, and whipped it at Nines.</p>
<p>                Nines paused when the cold snow splattered across his face. His LED went red momentarily as warnings about a sudden drop in temperature where the snow had made contact flashed in his vision.</p>
<p>                Gavin doubled over laughing at the sight of his partner’s snow-covered face. His cold body flushed with heat as he choked on giggles, and his fingers searched his pockets for his phone. He <em>needed</em> a picture of the sight in front of him. There was no way anyone would believe he’d managed to nail Nines directly in the face with a clump of snow unless he had photographic evidence.</p>
<p>                While Gavin wrestled with his pocket for his phone, Nines blinked away the warning messages that clouded his vision and approached Gavin in long, rapid strides. The detective noticed the incoming danger just in time to give up on his phone and run before Nines could catch him.</p>
<p>                The pair’s battle turned into an all-out war. Snowballs flew back and forth as Gavin ran from Nines and Nines returned Gavin’s every attack with one of his own. To Gavin’s misfortune, few of his snowballs hit Nines, and those that did hardly fazed the android. On the other hand, Nines rarely ever missed. Almost every snowball he threw smacked into Gavin and coated him with snow. However, despite the fact that the battle had grown very one-sided, both were enjoying themselves.</p>
<p>                “Suck it, Nines!” Gavin shouted when he managed to strike Nines’ chest.</p>
<p>                Nines threw a snowball in return that hit Gavin’s leg. “I’d rather not!” Nines countered. He chuckled when his next snowball hit Gavin’s back and drew a curse from the detective.</p>
<p>                Gavin’s first and last mistake had been picking a fight with the most advanced android ever made. Nines was ultimately immune to the cold as long it wasn’t prolonged and intense enough to damage any of his internal parts. Nines couldn’t tire, either. Gavin, on the other hand, was a flesh and blood human. He wasn’t wearing gloves and his jacket was thin. He’d already felt chilled back when he and Nines had first gotten out of the car at the Riverwalk, and while all the running he’d done during the snowball fight had warmed him up some, it did nothing for the numbness in his stiff fingers. He was also tired. His breaths came quick and shallow as he gulped down the painfully cold air, and his muscles ached.</p>
<p>                It seemed like hours had passed when Gavin finally ran out of energy and lost his fight against the shivers that demanded to wrack his body. He could only stumble back as Nines approached him with a threatening handful of snow, and when he lost his balance, he fell into the ice-cold blanket of white on the ground in defeat.</p>
<p>                Nines stood over Gavin for a moment, snow in hand as a smirk tugged up the corner of his lips. However, his smirk faded when a faint glow appeared in the back of his eyes. Nines’ LED went red. He dropped his snowball.</p>
<p>                “Gavin? Are you okay?” Nines asked quietly.</p>
<p>                Gavin tried to laugh, but his entire body shuddered instead. “G-g-guess I sh-shouldn’t have p-picked a f-fight wi-th a T-termin-nator,” he breathed out through chattering teeth.</p>
<p>                Nines reached for Gavin’s hand to pull the detective up, though he nearly recoiled when Gavin’s ice-cold fingers touched him.</p>
<p>                “Gavin, you’re freezing! And your body temperature is below safe levels!” Nines helped Gavin up, then immediately set to work brushing the snow from his partner’s body. He could feel the dampness of Gavin’s clothes where snow had melted and soaked into the material. “Why didn’t you say you were cold?”</p>
<p>                Gavin shrugged. “I’m f-fine. W-as ju’ having f-f-fun.”</p>
<p>                Nines fixed Gavin with an exasperated look and peeled off his jacket before setting it on Gavin’s shoulders. “Wear this, and come with me. We’re going home.”</p>
<p>                As the two returned to the car, Nines reached into Gavin’s jacket pocket and dug around until his fingers closed around the keys. “<em>I </em>will drive, and <em>you</em> will focus on warming up.”</p>
<p>-000-</p>
<p>                After a car ride much too short for the speed limit and length of their route, Gavin and Nines were back at their apartment. Nines immediately pushed Gavin into the bathroom and ordered him to take a warm shower. Gavin complied with little protest, as he knew Nines could and <em>would</em> make him do it anyway.</p>
<p>                When Gavin emerged, he found his wet clothes gone and replaced with fresh dry ones. He met Nines in the living room where the android shoved a hot cup of coffee into his hands before half-dragging him to the couch.</p>
<p>                “I’m <em>fine</em>, Nines,” Gavin insisted when his partner draped a blanket over him before sitting down next to him without leaving an inch of space to spare between them.</p>
<p>                “Your body temperature is average now, but you should still be cautious. While you’re no longer in danger of frostbite or hypothermia, you could still get sick.”</p>
<p>                Gavin rolled his eyes, but he didn’t argue. There was no point, and it wasn’t as if he particularly felt like getting up. He had fresh coffee in his hands. There was a warm blanket on his lap. Nines sat pressed flushed to his side, and when Gavin relaxed against him, the android didn’t pull away.</p>
<p>                The pair remained on the couch late into the night, half-focused on the shitty movie playing on the TV until Gavin’s eyes burned and his head drooped. When he finally gave in and let his head fall against Nines’ shoulder, he felt warm hands pull the nearly-empty mug of coffee from his hands. After a moment, Nines’ head gently came to rest on top of Gavin’s.</p>
<p>                “By the way…” Nines whispered quietly to a half-asleep Gavin. “I may not be the Terminator, but I still can and <em>will</em> kick your ass in a snowball fight, detective.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Day 7: Nutcracker</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Valerie isn't particularly interested in ballet, but goes to a performance with a friend to take her mind off of work. While she only expected a short distraction, she finds herself stumbling through the next week after falling head-over-heels for the prima ballerina, Tina Chen.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>                “Come <em>on</em>, Val. All you’ve been doing lately is working. It’s just one night, okay? I’ve got an extra ticket, and you need a break,” Valerie’s friend, Marissa, insisted.</p>
<p>                Valerie sighed and scrubbed her face, leaning back in her chair. “I don’t know, Mar. Ballet is nice and all, but it isn’t really my thing, and I have to go over my notes again to prepare for a case tomorrow—“</p>
<p>                “Val!” Marissa interrupted. She pouted and waved a ticket in Valerie’s face. “Please? If you won’t go for yourself, will you go for me? Your <em>bestest</em> friend in the whole wide world? Are you really gonna make me go alone? What’ll I do if I get pulled over and I don’t have my lawyer friend with me to talk me out of the ticket?”</p>
<p>                “I am <em>not</em> talking you out of a ticket…unless it’s for something stupid. <em>But</em>-“ Valerie stood up and grabbed the ticket for the evening’s ballet performance from Marissa’s hand. “I’ll go. Just once.”</p>
<p>                Marissa grinned and clapped her hands together. “Okay, it starts in two hours, so put on something nice. I’ll be waiting out here. You’re gonna love this, I promise!” She leaned in close to Valerie’s ear and lowered her voice. “The ballerinas are hot, too,” she whispered with a wink.</p>
<p>                Valerie rolled her eyes, then turned away and started toward her room. “I’m going with you to watch a performance with my friend, Mar. I’m not picking up a ballerina!”</p>
<p>-000-</p>
<p>                When she saw the sheer volume of attendees at the theater, Valerie almost turned around and walked away. She expected a performance of <em>The Nutcracker</em> during the holiday season to be busy, but she didn’t expect <em>this</em>.</p>
<p>                “You didn’t tell me it would be this busy!” Valerie shouted over the sounds of the crowd around them as they made their way into the theater.</p>
<p>                Marissa shrugged. “It’s not <em>that</em> bad, you’re just an introvert.”</p>
<p>                “Yes, I am, and there are more people here than I want to associate with in my entire life!”</p>
<p>                “Calm down! It’s worth it!”</p>
<p>                Valerie clenched her jaw when someone roughly bumped into her back. Oh, it <em>better</em> be worth it, or Valerie’s client would have a <em>very</em> cranky lawyer the next day, and not even God would be able to protect her opponent.</p>
<p>-000-</p>
<p>                It seemed like an eternity before the pair made it past the ticket counter and finally to their seats. By some miracle, their seats were located at the end of a row, so the pair didn’t have to worry about awkwardly sidestepping past anyone and could simply sit and try to block out all the noises around them while they waited for the performance to begin.</p>
<p>                “Aren’t you excited? I’ve never seen <em>The Nutcracker</em> live before. It’s gonna be great!” Marissa exclaimed, earning a nod from Valerie.</p>
<p>                “I think you have enough excitement for us both, Mar. <em>You</em> have wanted to be a ballerina since you were seven. <em>I</em> was more interested in becoming a lawyer,” Valerie reminded. It wasn’t that she disliked ballet. In fact, she was impressed by the immense strength and flexibility required of a ballerina, and she held a deep respect for them. She simply wasn’t particularly interested in ballet.</p>
<p>                Marissa gave Valerie a wink. “You’ll change your mind by the end,” she promised, though Valerie was unconvinced.</p>
<p>                With a sigh, Valerie crossed her arms, fixed her eyes on the empty stage, and relaxed into her seat. If nothing else, it was a night off. She could enjoy a nice show full of graceful women dancing across the stage, then go home and get some sleep before she needed to be at work in the morning.</p>
<p>                Another eternity passed before the lights dimmed, the crowd silenced, and the stage came to life.</p>
<p>                Valerie kept her eyes on the stage, impressed by the dancers. However, her mind couldn’t help but wander. She couldn’t stop thinking about all the work that was waiting for her back home. Not even the music that filled the room could penetrate Valerie’s thoughts deep enough to bring her attention back to the performance on stage no matter how incredible it was.</p>
<p>                A few minutes in, Valerie spotted movement on the empty right edge of the stage out of the corner of her eye. Curiously, she looked, and as soon as she laid eyes on the new dancer on the stage, nothing could make her look away.</p>
<p>                The new dancer, even from a distance, was gorgeous. Her glossy black hair was pinned up without a strand out of place, and nothing fell apart no matter how much she moved. Her costume wasn’t much different from that of the other dancers’ in style, but it seemed totally new. Even the way she moved was different. Her every motion was fluid, one leading into the next as if she was commanding the waves of the world’s oceans to dance with her. She was captivating in every sense, and even when the performance ended and she disappeared, Valerie couldn’t take her eyes off the stage.</p>
<p>-000-</p>
<p>                “See? I <em>told</em> you that you were going to like it! Seriously, you were even more into it than I was!” Marissa claimed excitedly while she and Valerie sat on the couch back in Valerie’s apartment after the show. “Admit it. You <em>loved </em>it.”</p>
<p>                Valerie waved her hands dismissively. “Yeah, okay, sure. But what was that one girl’s name? The one who came in a couple minutes after the others? Dark hair, smooth movements…beautiful,” she trailed off as her mind returned to the memory of the woman on stage.</p>
<p>                “<em>Val!”</em> Marissa smacked her friend’s arm lightly. “Are you seriously telling me you spent the entire show thirsting over the <em>prima fucking ballerina</em>?”</p>
<p>                “No!” Valerie insisted. “I just—She was really impressive, okay? Like, <em>really</em> impressive. Besides, she’s probably straight. I swear <em>all</em> the girls who are my type are straight.”</p>
<p>                Marissa gave Valerie a knowing look, though she didn’t argue any further. Instead, she crossed her arms and leaned into the couch comfortably. “That was Tina Chen. She’s been blowing up in the ballet world recently. <em>Everyone</em> wants her to be in their show, so she’s been chased by companies and directors from all over the world. She has a lot of fans, especially other ballerinas, but not all of them like her just for her skills…” Marissa paused and leaned in close to Valerie’s ear. “There’s a rumor that she’s single <em>and</em> she’s gay.”</p>
<p>                Valerie gave Marissa a light shove as the other woman laughed, then sighed and stood. “Mar, I’m not—Yeah, she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on, but there’s <em>no</em> way in hell I want to date a possibly straight woman who doesn’t even know I exist! I’m too busy for any of that, anyway. You said it yourself; my workload is insane right now!”</p>
<p>                “True,” Marissa agreed with a nod, then she stood abruptly. “Well, it’s late, so I need to get home. <em>You</em> get some sleep before work tomorrow, and good luck on your case.”</p>
<p>                “Thanks. You, too”</p>
<p>                Valerie walked Marissa to the door, then gave her friend a wave as she left.</p>
<p>                “Don’t stay up too late thinking about Tina Chen!”</p>
<p>                Laughter echoed down the hallway as Valerie slammed her apartment door shut.</p>
<p>-000-</p>
<p>                No matter how much she claimed she wasn’t interested and how hard she tried to clear her thoughts, Valerie couldn’t get Tina Chen out of her head. For a whole <em>week</em>, her thoughts had all been <em>Tina, Tina, Tina</em>. Thankfully, Valerie maintained focus at work, though she’d already spaced out at home so many times that she accidentally put cereal in the fridge and milk in the cupboard. She even lost sleep when her brain refused to stop thinking about the performance and <em>Tina, Tina, Tina</em>.</p>
<p>                Just over a week after the show, Valerie woke from yet another poor night of sleep to the sound of her blaring alarm demanding she get up and go to work. She wanted so badly to turn it off and go back to bed, but she couldn’t afford to skip work and lose her job. Reluctant and filled with defeat, Valerie dragged herself out of bed to start her morning routine, which went as usual until she tried to start a pot of coffee only for the machine to stop working.</p>
<p>                “You have got to be <em>fucking</em> <em>kidding me</em>.”</p>
<p>                It was going to be a <em>long</em> day.</p>
<p>-000-</p>
<p>                Twenty minutes before her shift started, Valerie walked into the coffeeshop nearest her office building. The line wasn’t too long, and she’d heard before that the place made great coffee. However, even if the coffee sucked and she was a few minutes late to work, Valerie didn’t care. She just wanted to get through the day so she could go home and <em>sleep</em>.</p>
<p>                In her tired haze, Valerie didn’t notice the person approaching her until the two collided with twin gasps. A full cup of coffee fell from the other person’s hand and splashed across the floor.</p>
<p>                “Oh my god! Are you okay?”</p>
<p>                Valerie nodded slowly in response to the foreign voice, then looked up from the coffee spill on the floor only to freeze when she saw who stood in front of her.</p>
<p>                She looked different, but Valerie could still recognize her easily. Her hair was pulled back into a simple ponytail that trailed down her back. She wore a red coat, dark leggings, and held her phone in one hand while the other retained the shape of the coffee cup that had fallen on the floor. She was just as beautiful as Valerie remembered. She was also <em>very</em> close. Tina Chen, in the flesh, was inches away from Valerie with a worried crease in her beautiful, perfect brow.</p>
<p>                “Are you alright?”</p>
<p>                Valerie blinked, finally returning to reality. Tina was watching her with concern as she stared like a complete <em>idiot</em>. The poor woman had probably asked her the same question three times while Valerie had been too busy short-circuiting to respond.</p>
<p>                “Oh, uh, yeah! Yeah, I’m fine. Are you okay?” Valerie finally said. She stooped down and picked the paper cup off the ground, as well as the lid that had popped off the cup upon impact, but the puddle of coffee still remained. “Uh, shit. Napkins—”</p>
<p>                “Don’t worry, we’ll take care of it!”</p>
<p>                A young man dressed in one of the shop’s light blue aprons hurried over with a mop and began to sop up the mess on the floor. Meanwhile, Valerie turned her attention back to Tina.</p>
<p>                “Hey, I’m so sorry! I had a rough night, and I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going—” Valerie began to ramble, though she stopped when Tina’s lips turned upward in a polite smile.</p>
<p>                “Don’t worry about it! I was staring at my phone instead of watching where I was going, so that was totally my fault, too,” she assured.</p>
<p>                Valerie shook her head. “No, I’m, uh—” She struggled for something to say, then blurted out the first words she could muster. “Can I buy you a coffee? Another one to replace the one that got dropped?”</p>
<p>                Tina began to shake her head, but she didn’t get the chance to refuse before Valerie panicked and spoke again.</p>
<p>                “Please? I feel awful…”</p>
<p>                After a moment of silence, Tina finally agreed. The pair joined the back of the line together and began their wait. It was awkward at first, neither sure of what they wanted to say, though to Valerie’s surprise, it was Tina who broke the ice.</p>
<p>                “So, are you planning to hold on to those all day?” Tina asked. She glanced down at the empty cup and lid Valerie had picked up off the floor and forgotten about.</p>
<p>                “Oh, shi—Uh, yeah, just let me—” Valerie frantically scanned the room until she spotted a trash can, then hurried over and dumped the cup and lid inside before rejoining the line. “Sorry.”</p>
<p>                Tina shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. And, um, by the way, what’s your name?” she asked, offering a hand. “I’m Ti-“</p>
<p>                “Tina Chen!” Valerie blurted as she took Tina’s hand, though she failed to shake it. She felt her face heat up when she noticed Tina looking at her with a somewhat surprised expression while their hands remained clasped between them. Hurriedly, Valerie shook Tina’s hand and let go. “Oh my god. I’m sorry. I’m Valerie. Morales. Valerie Morales. I’m a lawyer, and I uh, work just down the road actually. I saw your performance last week, which is why I knew who you are. You were incredible. Well, the entire show was pretty good, but you were just— It was amazing. Is this weird? I think this is weird. I’m <em>so </em>sorry.” Valerie wanted to smack herself until she shut up, but the words didn’t want to stop coming.</p>
<p>                By some miracle, Tina smiled. “I’m glad you enjoyed it. Have you been to any other shows recently? There are some great dancers in the city right now.”</p>
<p>                Valerie scratched the back of her neck sheepishly. “Actually, um, I’m not really into stuff like that. I just went to the show last week because my friend had an extra ticket and I needed a night off. It was still great, though! I, uh, I’d definitely watch you perform again!”</p>
<p>                The pair’s conversation delved into simpler topics as they talked back and forth while waiting in line. By the time they reached the counter, Valerie had told Tina about some of the craziest clients she’d ever had and learned that Tina had considered quitting ballet as a teen to pursue a career in law enforcement, but decided against it after a minor injury kept her from dancing for a month and made her realize she couldn’t give it up.</p>
<p>                “Well, I need to get going. I was supposed to be at the studio five minutes ago, and everyone is going to start blowing up my phone if I don’t get there soon,” Tina said after the two got their drinks and stepped outside.</p>
<p>                Valerie nodded. “I’m a little late, too.”</p>
<p>                There was silence for a moment, then Tina took a small step back. “Well, good luck with work today, Valerie. I hope your next case goes well.”</p>
<p>                “Yeah, thanks. I hope your next performance goes well, too.”</p>
<p>                Silence fell again, and Tina hesitantly turned away. Then—</p>
<p>                “Wait!”</p>
<p>                Tina glanced over her shoulder at Valerie, who was digging frantically through her purse. She pulled out a pen, then unwrapped the napkin that was around her coffee cup, crouched, and flattened the napkin on her leg. She scribbled something across it, then held it out to Tina, who slowly approached and took it.</p>
<p>                “I, uh…” Valerie began. Her eyes were on the ground, though she raised them to meet Tina’s gaze as she steeled herself with a deep breath. “Um… Call me?”</p>
<p>                Tina blinked and said nothing, and for a moment, Valerie’s heart froze. Then Tina’s expression shifted and her mouth curved into a smile.</p>
<p>                “Of course.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Day 8: Office Party</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Nines has never attended a holiday party at the DPD, and while he wants to know what it's like, he hesitates to join in. Gavin hates office parties and never attends voluntarily, but when he takes notice of Nines' situation, he takes matters into his own hands.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>                “Gavin? Is something wrong? While it is not unusual for you to glare at your phone for extended periods of time, you’ve been glaring at it three minutes longer than you typically do,” Nines said.</p>
<p>                Gavin rolled his eyes with a sigh and shoved his phone into his pocket. He wasn’t supposed to be texting at work to begin with, but if Fowler found out he was texting Tina, who was just a few desks away, while on the clock…</p>
<p>                “It’s nothing. Tina’s trying to convince me to stick around for the holiday party this weekend, as if it’s worth giving up a night off doing literally anything else somewhere that isn’t where I work,” he explained.</p>
<p>                Nines’ expression shifted, and out of the corner of his eye, Gavin saw the android’s LED go from blue to yellow.</p>
<p>                “Holiday party?” Nines asked.</p>
<p>                Gavin looked at his partner with raised eyebrows. “Yeah? You know, the dumb party they do every December? With cheap donuts from some convenience store and dollar store decorations?” He got silence in return. It made him sit up in his seat, dumbfounded. “Have you ever even been to one?”</p>
<p>                Nines shook his head slowly. “I was only woken shortly after the Revolution, and since then… I spent most of my time engrossed in my work. I heard about such celebrations one or twice from Tina, though I never attended. I wasn’t sure that my presence would be…welcome.”</p>
<p>                “Well,” Gavin began, “I can tell you that you haven’t missed out on shit, because those parties are, well, <em>shit</em>. If you want to go to the one this weekend, go ahead, but it’ll be boring as hell. Tina and Chris dragged me to a few, but I usually don’t go.”</p>
<p>                “Of course. I will consider it,” Nines said, though his voice sounded unsure, and his LED remained yellow.</p>
<p>                Gavin tried not to think about Nines’ odd reaction too much for the rest of the day, though he couldn’t help but notice the distant look on his partner’s face as the two of them worked. When he finally asked Nines what was bothering him when they got home, the android claimed it was nothing, though Gavin didn’t need his detective instincts to know that Nines was lying.</p>
<p>-000-</p>
<p>                Saturday evening, the night of the holiday party at the DPD, Nines sat at his desk and watched his coworkers trickle into the breakroom. As Gavin had said days ago, the room was plastered with cheap decorations, half of which hardly remained adhered to the walls. It was clear that the party was truly nothing special. However, Nines couldn’t ignore the cold bubble of disappointment ready to burst in his chest. He couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to walk into the breakroom and join in, but he couldn’t. He already often felt out of place in the precinct when all of his coworkers gossiped tiredly over the watery breakroom coffee they always complained about, or when they shrugged before eating one of the stale donuts that had sat in the breakroom all day after someone brought in a box to share. While no one made a point to exclude Nines, the little things piled up were enough to remind him that he was different, and no Revolution could change that.</p>
<p>                “You coming, Tin Can?”</p>
<p>                Nines shook his thoughts away and looked up at Gavin, who stood over him with his hands in his pockets and an expectant look on his face. Nines blinked. “Oh, uh, yes, I am. I just need a moment to finish a report, then we can go home.” He returned his attention to his computer and the partial report on the monitor, though before he could continue typing, it turned off.</p>
<p>                Gavin stood with his finger on the power button of Nines’ monitor. “I meant to the <em>party</em>. In the breakroom. You’ve been staring over there lookin’ like someone threw you out of the house and locked you out on the doorstep.”</p>
<p>                “Oh, well, I…” Nines trailed off, unsure how to explain himself, though he didn’t have to. He was saved by Gavin grabbing his arm, pulling him out of his chair, and half-dragging him toward the breakroom.</p>
<p>                At least a third of the DPD staff was packed into the small break room. People lined the walls, some of them wearing holiday sweaters so horrendous that Nines found it difficult to look at them for long. A few decorations had already fallen off the walls and rested either on a counter or on the floor. In the middle of the room stood Fowler, who looked less than excited as he set a box of fresh donuts on the table.</p>
<p>                “Did I just see Gavin come here willingly or did someone spike the coffee?”</p>
<p>                Gavin and Nines looked to their left, where Chris had shuffled past their coworkers to stand next to the pair with Tina in tow.</p>
<p>                “Did you drag him in here, Nines? I was going to, but I wasn’t sure if the two of you might’ve had other plans,” Tina said.</p>
<p>                Nines shook his head. “Actually, <em>Gavin</em> dragged <em>me</em> here. Quite literally.” He glanced down at his arm, which Gavin had yet to let go of.</p>
<p>                When Gavin realized he was still holding Nines’ arm, he scowled and released it quickly. “He’s never been, so I’m showing him how stupid these office holiday parties are so we can leave.”</p>
<p>                Tina and Chris nodded slowly, both of them clearly in doubt. Meanwhile, the corners of Nines’ lips turned up into a discreet smile.</p>
<p>-000-</p>
<p>                “So,” Gavin began as he stopped the car at a red light. He spared a glance at Nines, who was peeling off the holiday stickers Tina, Chris, and Gavin had stuck on his face during the party. “What did you think? Dumb as shit, right?” Gavin asked.</p>
<p>                Nines smiled as he stared down at the pile of cheap, cartoony stickers in his hands. “It wasn’t particularly eventful, and it was…<em>silly</em>, yes.” He looked over at Gavin when the car lurched into motion again. “Even so, I found it…” He paused, and his eyes wandered to the scar on the bridge of Gavin’s nose. “…Charming.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Day 9: Fireplace</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Connor catches a rare cold and stays home with Raphael while his family goes out for dinner. The pair sit in front of the fireplace, and while Raphael stares at the flames and ponders their duality, Connor's mind is on a fire in the shape of the angel next to him.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>WARNING: Spoilers for <em> Paradisa </em></p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>              “I’m <em>fine</em>, Raphael,” Connor insisted as the angel touched his forehead for the fifth time in two minutes. The pair sat on the floor in front of the fireplace in Connor’s Nan’s house.</p><p>              “You’re ill, and you have a fever. Your family asked me to look after you while they were out, so that is what I’m doing.” Raphael adjusted the blanket wrapped around Connor’s shoulders. “Are you warm enough, or do you need another blanket?”</p><p>              Connor sighed and grabbed Raphael’s hand with one of his own. He looked the angel in the eyes as he spoke. “I’m okay. I promise. It’s just a cold.”</p><p>                Raphael looked unconvinced, but relented nonetheless. “Alright,” he stated in defeat. “Just let me know if you need anything, okay? I wish I could simply heal you, but my power doesn’t work on diseases or illness.” There was a hint of frustration in his tone that the angel failed to fully suppress.</p><p>                “I’ll be fine by tomorrow,” Connor assured. “Besides, being alone with a hot angel in front of a fireplace isn’t the worst way I could spend my evening.”</p><p>                A dusting of pink colored Raphael’s face as he looked from Connor to the fireplace in front of them in a poor attempt to hide his blush. “I’m sure you would be enjoying your evening much more if you were in good health and had been able to go out for dinner with your family.”</p><p>                Connor hummed. “I mean, I don’t have much I could talk about with them. Clara is the only one who knows about who you are, and Set, and all the other shit we’ve been dealing with. I can’t exactly explain everything to my parents over dinner and expect anything but to be thrown into the nearest mental hospital. I don’t think they’d be thrilled if I told them, ‘hey, by the way, I’m bound to Raphael for the rest of my mortal life, so if he dies in this war, I’ll die, too’ either.”</p><p>                A slight tremor began in Connor’s body as shivers tried to seize him, prompting Raphael to close the small gap between them. He was an instant flood of warmth against Connor’s side, and the shivers stopped.</p><p>                “I apologize for that,” Raphael said. His eyes remained on the fire. “If you hadn’t met me, you would have gone on with your day unbothered. You never would’ve seen a spectre, or picked up my Icon and become bound to me.”</p><p>                Connor snorted. “Hey. <em>I’m </em>the idiot who decided to spend a few extra minutes talking to the cute guy at the bar, who later decided to chase some shady-looking guy into a sword fight where some lady was bleeding gold, <em>and</em> I picked up a sword that had just been on fire five seconds ago. I did it to myself,” he said. “I’m not complaining, anyway. I haven’t really done anything with my life since I got kicked out of the SEALs. Fighting Set is probably the most important thing I’ve ever done.”</p><p>                “It’s also the most dangerous.”</p><p>                “Maybe, but it’s worth the risk.</p><p>                “Perhaps, though I would prefer to never need to justify your death in this war as a necessary sacrifice for stopping Set.”</p><p>                The tension in Raphael’s tone brought a heavy silence to the room that Connor wasn’t sure he wanted to break. One look at Raphael’s grim expression was enough to convince Connor that the topic was to be dropped. Raphael had already lost Michael to Set, and just because Connor was willing to die for their cause didn’t mean Raphael would be okay with it.</p><p>                The pair sat wordlessly in front of the fire, Connor’s gaze on Raphael, and Raphael’s eyes locked on the flames. The angel looked as if he was lost in thought, and when Connor nudged him slightly, there was no reaction.</p><p>                “It’s strange.”</p><p>                Connor blinked, unsure if he had truly heard Raphael speak or if he was just imagining things. The angel’s expression had gone blank and still as stone, and his eyes never budged from the fire.</p><p>                “I have seen flames destroy. I have watched it burn entire civilizations to the ground and leave no survivors. It erases people, animals, nature, and things. Flames even dance around my Icon when it is activated, purely to hurt and kill. All that is ever left are ashes, or a grisly scar if one is lucky enough to survive. And yet, fire is mesmerizing. I could stare at it for days. It can be a multitude of colors and take an endless number of forms,” Raphael explained quietly, all without ever looking away from the fire. “How can something so beautiful be so destructive? And how is it that, while a fire could burn the world until nothing remains, it will die in moments when deprived of oxygen? Beautiful, but harrowing. Unstoppable, but weak. I’ve been alive longer than a mortal being could comprehend, and yet to this day I can’t understand something as simple as fire.”</p><p>                While Raphael was transfixed by the fire, Connor couldn’t look away from Raphael. He heard the angel’s words and knew what he was referring to, but his eyes saw something much different. He was staring at a fire that didn’t quite know it was made of flames. Beautiful, <em>ethereal</em>, and so difficult to look away from whether he was at rest or in battle.  A vessel containing enough power to wipe out an entire army in a blue glow. Strong. Resilient. That was Raphael.</p><p>              However, like fire, Raphael was not just strength and beauty. He was dangerous. He could kill with ease if he wished. He could suffocate his enemies without so much as looking at them. When he raged out of control, he was nearly impossible to stop. Raphael could bring the world to its knees. He was also weak, though. Without his power, he couldn’t heal. He was handicapped by wounds, and his company could die at any moment. He cared too much about too many people, whether that was Michael, Connor, Clara, or the other deities he had allied himself with. He was dead-set on ensuring no one else he loved died, and Set could use that against him. He wasn’t invincible, either. Michael hadn’t been. Gods, goddess, angels… They were far more powerful than any human could ever be, and they could live forever, but they weren’t invincible. One wrong move is all it would take for Raphael to die.</p><p>              “Maybe you don’t have to.”</p><p>              Connor spoke the words without realizing it. He hadn’t meant to say anything aloud. For a moment, he was afraid Raphael might finally look away from the fireplace and notice Connor staring, but he didn’t. The angel didn’t speak or move. He only stared and listened.</p><p>              “Maybe the fire can hurt a lot of people, but that doesn’t mean it will. It’s beautiful and warm. It can help people and save lives. And when it does go out of control and causes harm, even though it might be difficult, it can be stopped. It can be placated and go from an inferno to smoldering embers so weak that a slight wind could put it out. That’s when you protect it the best you can, and once it’s strong enough to survive alone, you step back and watch again. You stand just far enough away that you won’t get burned, but close enough to save it when it starts to die, or grows too strong,” Connor said quietly.</p><p>              There was a brief silence before Raphael responded.</p><p>              “How do you know which way it will go? How can you be aware of whether or not you’ll get burned?”</p><p>              Connor shrugged, his eyes still on Raphael.</p><p>              “You don’t know. You just love it anyway and hope you don’t get burned.”</p><p>              “And if you do?”</p><p>              “Sometimes it happens. Accidents are inevitable, but that’s no reason to be afraid.”</p><p>              Raphael nodded slowly, then questioned Connor without ever moving his gaze. “Are you afraid of fire, Connor?”</p><p>              “No.” There was no need to think. Connor had only been close to the fire in front of him for a short time, but he wasn’t afraid. He knew what that fire could do, but he trusted that the flames would never come directly for him. “Never.”</p><p>              Silence fell again, and neither moved. Raphael still stared at the fire, and Connor still stared at Raphael.</p><p>              Despite his cold, Connor felt no chills. After all, the fireplace wasn’t the only fire keeping him warm.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Day 10: Candles</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Gavin learns that Nines collects candles when the two move in together. Despite not being much of a holiday or gift-giving person, he knows just what to get for Nines as the holidays draw nearer.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>                Gavin had first noticed it a week after Nines moved in with him. There were a few candles on Nines’ dresser. The sight had struck Gavin as a bit odd at first, considering androids didn’t technically have a sense of smell. They could analyze scents, yes, but they typically didn’t go out of their way to do so unless it was necessary. An android might analyze the scent of food they were cooking to ensure nothing was burning and no mistakes had been made during preparation, or activate their sensors to help find the source of a gas leak. They <em>could</em> smell, technically, but they didn’t <em>have</em> to. They could simply shut off their olfactory sensors at will if they wanted to block out unpleasant smells, so why did Nines have candles?</p>
<p>                Ultimately, Gavin decided not to pry. The candles weren’t hurting anyone or anything. He never even saw Nines light them. Their smell wasn’t so strong that they filled the entire bedroom with a mixture of overwhelming scents, either. Each one had a lid that kept the scent inside the jar. Whether or not Nines had intended it, Gavin didn’t know, and he also didn’t really care. As long as he didn’t wake up one morning with a headache from all the different candle smells, he didn’t plan to say a word.</p>
<p>                When the collection of candles on Nines’ dresser expanded, Gavin’s curiosity did, too. Once in a while Nines would come home with a new candle to add to his collection, and he never mentioned it to Gavin. It wasn’t as if Nines was <em>required</em> to explain himself, though Gavin couldn’t help but wonder why the android collected candles, and why he never lit them.</p>
<p>                The question finally came out months later after Gavin accidentally broke one of the candles.</p>
<p>                Asshole was winding around Gavin’s feet when he woke up in the morning, and still bleary-eyed and half asleep, Gavin tripped on the cat. When he threw an arm out to catch himself, his hand swatted one of Nines’ candles off the dresser, and the jar hit the floor at the same time as Gavin. The sound of shattering glass was completely drowned out by the loud ‘thump’ from Gavin’s body hitting the floor, so when Nines rushed it to see what was wrong, he failed to notice the broken candle.</p>
<p>                “Gavin? What’s wrong? What happened?” Nines asked as he knelt on the floor next to his partner.</p>
<p>                Gavin groaned quietly. He could already tell he would have a line of nasty bruises within the hour, and pain radiated from the points where his body had impacted the floor.</p>
<p>                Slowly, with Nines’ hand on his back to support him, Gavin sat up. He rubbed his face tiredly, then glared at the door where Asshole had gone running when Gavin fell. “I tripped on the fuckin’ cat,” he mumbled just loud enough for Nines to hear. “I’m fine.”</p>
<p>                Gavin glanced behind himself and sighed heavily at the sight of the broken candle. There were shards of glass large and small all over the floor. “Phck,” he whispered as he turned around and knelt over the mess. He started to pick up the glass with his fingers before Nines’ arm appeared in front of him and pushed him back.</p>
<p>                “I’ll take care of this. I don’t want you to cut yourself,” Nines said. “Go get the vacuum.”</p>
<p>                Gavin wordlessly did as he was told. He stood slowly, grimacing at his throbbing body as he hobbled slowly toward the kitchen for the vacuum, which he half-dragged back to the bedroom with him.</p>
<p>                Once the pair finally finished cleaning up the glass, Gavin caught Nines’ arm before the android could leave the room to empty the vacuum into the trash.</p>
<p>                “Hey,” Gavin began, “I’m sorry about the candle. I knocked it off your dresser trying to catch myself when I tripped.”</p>
<p>                Nines frowned. “You have nothing to apologize for, Gavin. Accidents occur, and I can always buy a new one.”</p>
<p>                Gavin shook his head. “Do you remember which one it was? I’ll buy it for you since I’m the one who broke it.”</p>
<p>                “That’s alright. I have sufficient f—”</p>
<p>                “Nines,” Gavin interrupted. “Just let me get it for you, okay? I don’t know why you collect candles, but obviously they mean something to you. I’ll replace the one I broke. I’m not gonna make you pay for something that was my fault.</p>
<p>                Nines was quiet for a moment, then he nodded slowly. “Alright. The broken candle was an eucalyptus one I got from a store by the precinct. They aren’t very expensive, only a few dollars.”</p>
<p>                “I’ll pick one up after work tomorrow,” Gavin promised. He turned away from Nines and started toward the kitchen to make himself breakfast.</p>
<p>                “Gavin.”</p>
<p>                The detective stopped and looked over his shoulder when Nines called his name.</p>
<p>                Nines was holding one of his candles. He glanced at Gavin, then stared down at the candle he was holding. “I collect them because I like the colors. The scents are nice, as well. While androids can’t smell things the same way humans can, we can still analyze scents. I find it relaxing,” he explained. “I only buy ones with lids so the smell of them doesn’t bother you, though, so make sure the one you get tomorrow has a lid.”</p>
<p>                Gavin held up a thumbs up for Nines to see as he exited the bedroom. Eucalyptus. Lid. Store by the DPD. Got it. To be safe, Gavin slipped his phone out of his pocket and set a reminder for the next day so he wouldn’t forget.</p>
<p>-000-</p>
<p>                As promised, Gavin bought Nines’ candle the following evening after work and gave it to the android upon returning home. What he didn’t tell Nines was that he hadn’t only bought one.</p>
<p>                On their way to work, Gavin had asked all the questions about Nines’ candles that he’d come up with since he first noticed them. As Nines had said the previous day, he liked the colors and certain scents. Gavin also learned that Nines preferred dark and warm colors over bright or neon ones, and he didn’t like scents that were overwhelming. After convincing his partner that he wouldn’t be annoyed or bored, Gavin even got Nines to tell him about every candle he owned. Gavin knew that most of Nines’ candles were red, brown, grey, or dark green. He also knew all the scents well enough that he would be able to recognize which ones Nines had and which ones he didn’t.</p>
<p>                Armed with the knowledge he’d gained during the drive to work, Gavin bought a eucalyptus candle identical to the one he had broken, as well as three others. One claimed to smell like the air following a rainstorm, and while the scent was nice, Gavin had bought it primarily because the color matched Nines’ eyes. The second was a dark red cinnamon candle Nines had mentioned he had wanted to buy, though the store had been out of stock last time he went. The third was dark grey and had an unfamiliar, yet pleasant smell. Gavin didn’t recognize the name on the label, but he had a feeling Nines would like it.</p>
<p>                 To keep Nines from finding the candles before the holidays, Gavin kept them buried in his dresser. They stayed there for weeks before he finally took them out a few days before Christmas. The two were about to start a major case and wouldn’t have time to celebrate the holidays, so Gavin figured he would give Nines his gift early.                </p>
<p>                 Unfortunately, Gavin had nothing to wrap the candles in. He wasn’t much of a holiday person, so he didn’t own any gift wrap or gift bags. He ultimately settled for keeping them in the bag from the store he’d bought them from. Nines wasn’t picky, and he wasn’t the kind of person who ever expected gifts no matter the occasion, so Gavin doubted the android would care about packaging.</p>
<p>                 The night before the two were supposed to start their case, they were enjoying their final night off by watching movies on TV while lazing on the couch.</p>
<p>                 At the end of the second movie, Gavin acted as if he was going to go to the bathroom, but instead went into the bedroom and dug the candles out of his dresser. When he returned to the living room, he wordlessly went straight to Nines, set the bag on the android’s lap, then dropped unceremoniously back into his seat.</p>
<p>                 Nines blinked at the bag in his lap, then looked at Gavin in confusion.</p>
<p>                 “Happy holidays,” Gavin said, his eyes glued to the TV. He didn’t trust his face to not go red if he looked at Nines. “It’s a gift. Open it.”</p>
<p>vOut of the corner of his eye, Gavin watched Nines slowly open the plastic bag and pull out the candles, which he observed carefully. The android turned each one around in his hand as he looked at the colors, then pulled off the lids to smell them. The pleased smile on his face widened with each one.</p>
<p>                 “You like them?” Gavin asked. He finally shifted his gaze to Nines, but kept his face forward so he could maintain his relaxed, casual expression. Still, Gavin’s face heated up threateningly when Nines looked at him with a grin and nodded.</p>
<p>                 “Yes, I do.” Nines’ smile didn’t fade as he put the candles back in their bag and set them aside to be put away later. “Thank you, Gavin.”</p>
<p>                 Gavin shrugged. “I just saw those while I was picking up your other candle and thought you might like them. It’s nothing, really.”</p>
<p>                 The blush that colored Gavin’s cheeks was plain to see despite his attempts to hide it, and the increase in the temperature of his face was easily picked up by Nines’ scanners. The android kept quiet, though, as he felt the thirium circulating under the synthetic skin of his face grow warm as well.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Day 11: Silent Night</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>James hums an eerie tune that leaves Sam with a foreboding feeling he can't shake.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>                The car was silent bar the hiss of the tires on the pavement and James’ quiet humming.</p>
<p>                It had taken Sam a few minutes of listening to recognize the song his partner hummed, mostly due to the fact that James had modified the speed and tone. His humming was deep, like a growl, and <em>very</em> slow. What was meant to be a relaxing and warm song sounded eerie and vaguely threatening in a way that made the hair on Sam’s arms rise, though he didn’t dare mention it. Something in his gut told him not to say anything. It begged him to keep quiet. He didn’t know what was causing the cold feeling of despair in his chest, but he didn’t question it. He kept his mouth shut and his eyes forward.</p>
<p>                A sudden, loud ‘pop’ and a jarring jolt of the car made Sam’s heart leap into his throat. His breaths came shallow and quick as James steered their car onto the shoulder of the road and slowed to a stop.</p>
<p>                “What was that?” Sam breathed as he glanced around with wide eyes. His gaze hesitantly settled on James, who had stopped humming and was staring out the windshield with a furrowed brow.</p>
<p>                “I think we lost a tire,” James guessed. He reached to unbuckle his seatbelt, but stopped when Sam fumbled for his own and all but jumped out of the car.</p>
<p>                “I’ll get the spare and the tool kit from the trunk.” Sam peeked his head back into the vehicle just long enough to tell James what he was doing before he slammed his door shut and walked around to the trunk of the car. He heaved it open and peered inside in search of the spare tire and James’ tool kit. If he was being honest, Sam had no idea where either one was. However, he was desperate to get out of the car and away from James’ creepy humming. It had been driving him up the walls until his heart pounded in his chest with so much force that he thought his ribs might break.</p>
<p>                Shaking off the wary tingle under his skin, Sam began to rummage through the trunk. It was oddly cluttered for a vehicle belonging to James. The man was usually very tidy and didn’t own much of anything that wasn’t an absolute necessity. However, his trunk was packed full of various things Sam didn’t entirely recognize. There were a few tarps, some tool kits, and a few miscellaneous bags. Sam shuffled everything around in search of the spare tire, but he couldn’t find it.</p>
<p>                As his lack of success continued, Sam switched his focus from the tire to the tool kit. There were multiple unmarked bags in the trunk, all of which could contain tools, and Sam didn’t know where to start. He picked a bag at random and unzipped it, though his veins filled with ice when he opened it up to find a mess of clothes, supplies, and…a <em>gun</em>.</p>
<p>                Sam took a step back in shock, and he nearly jumped out of his shoes in fright when he bumped into something. He spun around and found himself face-to-face with James, though the sight of his partner’s face brought no relief. If anything, it made the anxiety boiling in Sam’s gut intensify.</p>
<p>                “J-James, I—” Sam cut off abruptly when James lifted his arm and leveled a gun with Sam’s chest. Sam didn’t get the chance to so much as breathe before James fired.</p>
<p>                Sam’s body crumbled to the ground, and James slowly lowered the gun. He stared down at his partner with a grim expression. What a waste.</p>
<p>                There was silence as James dug the spare tire and his tool kit out of the trunk and took it around the side of the car to the tattered tire on the passenger side of the vehicle. He swapped the tire out wordlessly, then returned his tool kit to the trunk alongside the bad tire. Then, he pulled a tarp from the trunk, laid it out on the ground next to Sam, and rolled his partner’s body up before shoving it into the trunk.</p>
<p>                Once everything was cleaned up and no evidence of his presence remained, James climbed back into the car, turned the key in the ignition and pulled back onto the road. Slow, eerie humming filled the cab once more.</p>
<p>                <em>Silent night,</em></p>
<p>
  <em>                Holy night,</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>                All is calm,</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>                All is bright…</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Day 12: Family</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Raphael questions his relationship with his brothers and the meaning of 'family'</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>WARNING: Spoilers for <em> Paradisa </em></p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>                ‘Family’ wasn’t a foreign term to Raphael. They may not have been close, per say, but he had brothers. There had been Michael. A little distant, yes, and in some ways more like boss than a brother when it came to dealing with Raphael. Michael hadn’t been mean to him, though. He would freely admit that Raphael was his little brother. He wasn’t ashamed of him, and just because Michael didn’t tell Raphael everything didn’t mean he didn’t trust him. There was always a reason, right? Surely Michael would have told him eventually, had he not been killed by Set. While Raphael’s faith in Michael had been shaken by the new truths he’d learned, he didn’t resent his brother. Michael was his family.</p><p>                Lucifer… Lucifer was difficult. It had been so long since Lucifer fell, so long that Raphael’s memories of his other brother had dulled. However, even though Lucifer had been locked up for centuries in a place Connor had deemed ‘super mega turbo hell,’ Raphael still considered him family. Even if Lucifer was evil, and even if he betrayed Raphael in the war against Set, they were still brothers. They were still family.</p><p>                Raphael had a family, even if it was a little odd—or so he thought. After staying with the Bisharas for a few days, he began to question his certainty. Clara and Connor bickered often just as Raphael’s siblings did, though their fights weren’t nearly as heated, and they seemed to move on from their anger within a short span of time. The Bishara siblings’ fights didn’t end with one banishing the other from the realm, either.</p><p>                The more Raphael watched, the more confused he got. He began to see himself in Clara, the younger sibling who looked up to her older brother, a distinguished warrior. However, Clara didn’t take orders from Connor the way Raphael had taken orders from Michael. Even on the battlefield, while she looked to Connor for guidance, she did what she felt she needed to do. While Connor kept things to himself at times, he was often open with Clara about what he knew, and when he tried to keep something from her, Clara didn’t back down while trying to get Connor to share his knowledge. Clara and Connor were equals. Raphael regarded Michael as his superior. There were so many similarities between the two pairs of siblings, and yet they were vastly different.</p><p>                Eventually, Raphael broke down and spoke to Clara. He asked her about Connor and what she thought of him.</p><p>                “I mean, I do look up to him, yeah, but… He’s not my <em>boss</em>. I ask him for help if I need it, but if he tries to make me do something that I don’t think is right just because <em>he</em> believes in it, I’ll kick his ass.”</p><p>                “What if he knows better than you? He’s older, after all, and has much more experience in life and combat.”</p><p>                “So? That doesn’t mean he can’t be wrong about something.”</p><p>                “Don’t you trust him and his judgement?”           </p><p>                “Of course, but I trust <em>myself</em> and <em>my</em> judgement, too.”</p><p>                In the end, Raphael only felt <em>more</em> confused by the time he and Clara finished talking.</p><p>                To get his mind away from the complexities of sibling relationships, Raphael turned to yet another confusing concept: parents.</p><p>                As an angel, Raphael didn’t exactly <em>have</em> any parental figures. The closest he had to such a thing was Michael, who was now gone. Michael had taught Raphael almost everything he knew, and he often commanded Raphael the same way Connor and Clara’s parents commanded them, but the comparison didn’t seem <em>right</em>. Michael was a brother in Raphael’s mind, not a parent. There was no parent for him. There was no one with photo albums full of images of him and his siblings. There was no one to scold him for forgetting to take off his dirty shoes at the door. There was no one to welcome him when he came home. There had never been anyone. Perhaps there would never <em>be</em> anyone.</p><p>                Of course, lost in his growing number of questions, Raphael forgot that there was someone else with access to his thoughts. It didn’t cross his mind that Connor may have caught on to his inner turmoil until Connor confronted him on it one evening.</p><p>                “What’s wrong, Raphael? You’ve been overthinking something so much lately that I can barely keep my own thoughts together,” Connor said as he sat on the end of his bed next to Raphael.</p><p>                “I’m sorry.” Raphael stared down at his hands in his lap as guilt washed over him. He’d been so wrapped up in his confusion that he didn’t realize it might impact Connor through their bond.</p><p>                Connor nudged Raphael lightly with his elbow. “Hey, it’s alright, okay? I’m just worried about you. If there’s something bothering you, you can talk to me about it.”</p><p>                Raphael nodded slowly. “I’ve been thinking,” he began, “about my brothers. My <em>family</em>. I thought the relationship I had with them wasn’t far from normal. I understand that our situation is peculiar, considering Lucifer was imprisoned in the most cruel of the realms and Michael was the one who put him there, though I know that many families suffer from infighting and conflict. I thought my relationship with Michael was a normal one, as well, especially when I first met you and Clara. She looks up to you the same way I looked up to Michael, and she goes to you when she needs guidance just as I went to Michael. However, the more time I spend with the two of you, especially outside of battle, the more I realize I was wrong. You and Clara regard each other informally in a way I never could have treated Michael.” His gaze remained fixed on his hands. “And your parents… I don’t have such a thing. I don’t know if I ever did. Perhaps I did some time ago, though if that is the case, I have no memory of it. Even my memories of Lucifer before he was banished by Michael have been eroded by time.”</p><p>                Raphael ran a hand through his hair with a heavy sigh. “I guess I’m troubled by the concept of ‘family’ and my understanding of it. I’m starting to question whether or not my ‘family’ is a family at all.”</p><p>                Connor’s brow was furrowed as his eyes searched Raphael’s troubled expression. He was quiet for a moment as he struggled to respond. “I mean, all families are different, Raphael. Just because your family doesn’t look like mine doesn’t mean yours isn’t actually one.” Connor paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. “It’s… It comes down to what you <em>feel.</em> If you feel like Michael and Lucifer are your family, then they are. I mean, family isn’t just about blood, anyway. So what if you come from the same people? Just because you share a common ancestor doesn’t mean you’re obligated to help each other, or care about each other. If that was the case, kids wouldn’t be neglected or abused by their parents, but that happens all the time. You choose who your family is, whether they’re your brothers by blood or brothers you chose.”</p><p>                “I see.” Raphael’s response was short, and his tone indecipherable. He was silent for a moment as he slowly stood and crossed the room to stand at the window. The angel looked outside with unseeing eyes as his focus remained on his thoughts. “Michael, Lucifer, and I may share an origin, and we may have spent much of our time together, though…” Raphael paused and his eyes narrowed. “I’m starting to believe we may simply be allies rather than family.”</p><p>-000-</p><p>                Raphael was quiet for days. He never initiated conversations and his replies to anyone who spoke to him were often short. He was polite to the Bisharas as he had been since his arrival, though it was clear that something was on his mind. No one pushed him to open up, and he didn’t offer. He didn’t feel like burdening Connor further, nor did he want to trouble Clara, and he couldn’t explain his situation to the pair’s parents considering they would never believe he was an angel.</p><p>                One day, Connor and Clara went out to the store for groceries with their father. Raphael stayed behind to help their mother clean the house, as he was taller than any of the Bisharas and could reach things they couldn’t.</p><p>                At first, neither Mrs. Bishara nor Raphael talked, though as the silence dragged on, Mrs. Bishara finally decided she’d had enough of it.</p><p>                “It isn’t often that Connor and Clara bring friends home with them, though when they do, they usually love to talk about them. They’ve been quiet about you, though,” she said. “You’ve been quiet, as well. I can see that something is on your mind, Raphael. I can see it on Clara and Connor’s faces, too, especially Connor’s. They’re worried about you.”</p><p>                Raphael was swapping out an old lightbulb on the fixture in the kitchen when Mrs. Bishara spoke, and he paused and stared at the dead bulb in his hand when she finished. “I apologize, ma’am. I’ve just… I’ve been thinking about my brothers a lot, recently.”</p><p>                “You have brothers?”</p><p>                “Yes, ma’am. Two.”</p><p>                “Really? Do they live anywhere nearby? You could invite them over sometime if you’d like.”</p><p>                Raphael bit his lip and busied himself with putting a new bulb in the fixture as an excuse to keep his back turned to Mrs. Bishara so she couldn’t see his grim expression. “I’m afraid that won’t be possible. Actually… One of them got into trouble when we were younger and was…jailed for some time. He was only released recently, and I saw him for the first time in many years shortly after. I don’t remember him well, nor am I sure how trustworthy he is, so we aren’t close. My other brother…passed away just a few weeks ago.”</p><p>                “I’m sorry, Raphael. What happened? He must not have been very old…”</p><p>                Raphael struggled for an answer, as he doubted saying, ‘he was killed in a duel against a corrupt god’ would go over well. “He…was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”</p><p>                “Oh… Your parents must have been devastated.”</p><p>                “Well, it has always been just my brothers and I, actually.”</p><p>                Mrs. Bishara abruptly set down the rag and bottle of cleaner in her hands. She marched over to Raphael, who clutched the dead light bulb he had yet to dispose of as he uneasily watched the short woman approach him with an unreadable expression.</p><p>                Raphael blinked in surprise when Mrs. Bishara plucked the dead lightbulb from his hands, set it on the counter, then took his hands in hers. She stared into his eyes, and he couldn’t look away as she spoke to him.</p><p>                “I’m sorry about your family, Raphael. It isn’t easy to lose one person, let alone nearly all of them. Now, I may have only known you for a few days, but you’re a wonderful young man, and I’m not so old that I can’t see the way my son looks at you,” she said, bringing a light flush to Raphael’s cheeks. “I don’t know how long the three of you intend to stay, but remember you will <em>always</em> be welcome here. You are important to my children, so you are important to me. Whatever happens, you’ll have a family here to come home to.”</p><p>                Raphael had no response. All he could manage was a slow, stunned nod.</p><p>-000-</p><p>                Raphael never mentioned his conversation with Mrs. Bishara to Connor or Clara, though the pair realized something had happened while they were gone when the way their mother talked to Raphael suddenly changed. She still treated him like a guest in many ways, though it was as if she had thrown formality out the window and stomped on it to ensure it was dead. She insisted on taking pictures of Raphael with Connor and Clara even if they were doing something as simple as watching TV. She called on Raphael to help set the table for meals and to help with dishes. She reminded him to take off his shoes when he came in the house and nearly forgot, distracted by other thoughts. When Raphael went out with Connor or Clara, she greeted him the same way as she greeted her children when they came back.</p><p>                After a few days, Raphael couldn’t help but smile. He smiled when Mrs. Bishara asked him to get something down from a tall shelf. He smiled when Clara wanted the TV remote so she could change the channel and Connor instructed him to hold it up over his head so she couldn’t reach it. He smiled as the little house he’d been staying in quickly became more familiar than his own personal residence. He smiled because he felt like he was home.</p><p>                For once, Raphael felt, without a doubt, like he had a family.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Day 13: Candy Canes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Clara and Connor introduce Raphael to candy cane duels</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>WARNING: Spoiler for <em> Paradisa </em></p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>                “Catch.”</p>
<p>                Connor looked up just in time to see Clara hurl something at his from across the room. His arm shot up and his hand closed around a shape he didn’t recognize until he looked at it.</p>
<p>                “Where the hell did you get a candy cane from?” he asked. “Mam is gonna kill you.”</p>
<p>                Clara shrugged and dropped down on the living room sofa next to Connor. “What Mam doesn’t know won’t get me killed.”</p>
<p>                “Fair.”</p>
<p>                The two unwrapped their candy canes, then exchanged silent glances. Their lips turned up in twin smirks.</p>
<p>-000-</p>
<p>                The faint sound of scraping drew Raphael’s attention. He was in Connor’s room, and had been using the silence to think about what their next move in the war against Set should be. However, the scraping made him lose focus.</p>
<p>                Wary, Raphael followed the sound. His guard was up and he was prepared to summon his Icon at any moment should he encounter trouble, though the tension left him in one quick wave when he reached the source of the scraping only to find that Connor and Clara were behind it.</p>
<p>                “What…are you doing?” Raphael asked as he approached the two humans.</p>
<p>                Connor and Clara looked up at Raphael. “Sharpening our candy canes,” they said in unison.</p>
<p>                Raphael frowned. “Is that…some sort of weapon?” It had been a while since Raphael had gotten involved with humans. While he wasn’t sure what candy canes were, he wouldn’t be surprised if they were one of the new human weapons he had yet to encounter.</p>
<p>                “Yes, and no,” Clara said. She dragged her candy cane between her teeth, and the sound of scraping pierced Raphael’s ears again. Clara looked at Connor. “How’s yours?”</p>
<p>                Connor pulled his candy cane out of his mouth, glanced at it, then dragged it between his teeth again. “Not yet.”</p>
<p>                Raphael watched the Bishara siblings with a curious interest. Considering the pair had the candy canes in their mouths, Raphael guessed it was something edible. An edible weapon? The idea was…<em>strange</em>, though it was far from the oddest thing humans had invented.</p>
<p>                Eventually, the scraping stopped. Connor and Clara looked at their candy canes, then stood. They faced each other with barely suppressed amusement on their faces. They held their candy canes with the sharpened ends pointed at each other, then—</p>
<p>                When Connor and Clara started swiping and jabbing at each other with their candy canes, Raphael blinked in confusion. It seemed that candy canes <em>were</em> edible weapons after all, though they didn’t seem very reliable. They were small to begin with, and the fine tips were even smaller. Would they break easily?</p>
<p>                The fighting continued until Clara managed to poke Connor’s arm with her candy cane, which promptly snapped in her hand.</p>
<p>                “Victory!” Clara shouted while Connor scowled and bit off the sharp tip of his candy cane. The candy cane snapped loudly between his teeth.</p>
<p>                While Clara searched the floor for the broken pieces of her candy cane, Raphael confronted Connor.</p>
<p>                “So, these candy canes are edible weapons? The concept is interesting, though they seem very unreliable, considering Clara’s broke when she stabbed you. Are humans trying to develop a more durable type, or have you given up on candy canes as weapons?” Raphael asked.</p>
<p>                Instead of answering, Connor laughed. He shook his head slowly while trying to regain his voice. “They—They aren’t <em>actually</em> weapons, Raphael. It’s candy. They’re basically mints shaped like canes. Clara and I always sharpened the long ends with our teeth and fought each other with them when we were younger. It got to the point where our parents were so tired of finding broken pieces of candy canes on the floor that they wouldn’t buy them for us anymore,” he explained. “It’s just for fun. No one uses them as actual weapons.”</p>
<p>                Raphael nodded. “I see.” He let the memory of Clara and Connor dueling with their candy canes replay in his head, and he felt a rush of excitement bubble up in his chest. Raphael looked to Connor. “If the two of you battle with candy canes again, could I join you? It sounds…fun.”</p>
<p>                Connor nearly snorted. “Of course.” No one in their right mind would turn down the opportunity to see an angel with the power to wipe out an entire army in a supernova of blue light, who wielded an ivory sword cloaked in heavenly fire, fight someone with <em>candy</em>.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Day 14: Baking</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Seth tries to bake synth-shaped cookies, but fails miserably. Not even the help of Mag or Jared can save him.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>                Seth wasn’t known for his cooking abilities, nor did he ever bake. However, he didn’t know how he could go wrong with cookies as long as he followed a recipe. He had a step-by-step list of instructions telling him what to do so he wouldn’t screw up, and yet…</p>
<p>                “Woah,” Mag said as she entered the kitchen. The smell of something burning slammed into her like a wave. She approached Seth warily, and when her eyes found the pan of blackened blobs on the counter in front of him, she stared at it grimly. “You know, when people say you can cook something at four thousand degrees for one minute instead of at four hundred degrees for ten minutes, they’re just kidding.”</p>
<p>                Seth groaned. “I <em>know</em>. I did everything the recipe told me to do, but…” He pouted as he scraped at the blobs with a knife. They didn’t budge. Only a few crumbly pieces of black flakes came off the pan.</p>
<p>                Mag winced and took the knife from Seth before he could manage to hurt himself with it. “O-kay,” she said. “Where’s the recipe?”</p>
<p>                Seth slipped his phone out of his pocket and handed it to Mag, who scrolled through the website open on his screen. The recipe was a simple one with only a few ingredients. How her partner had managed to char his cookies so severely, Mag had no idea. She scrolled through the recipe again.</p>
<p>                “Try again, okay? I’ll help this time.”</p>
<p>-000-</p>
<p>                Two heads were better than one, but when neither head had any idea how to bake, the extra help did them no favors.</p>
<p>                “What the hell…” Mag breathed as she looked at the pan of cookies in front of her. They weren’t charred like the first batch and a little scraping got them off the pan, but the bottoms were heavily burnt. When Mag tried to break one in her hands, she found it nearly impossible. It was as if she was trying to snap a rock in half.</p>
<p>                Seth courageously tried to bite into one, and with a little straining, a piece broke off between his teeth. Instantly, he grimaced and spit it out. “<em>Oh my god. </em>That is so fuckin’ <em>bad</em>.”</p>
<p>                “They’re better than yours,” Mag countered just as Jared walked in.</p>
<p>                “Hey?” Jared greeted hesitantly as he took in the Mag’s frustrated expression and the sight of Seth spitting in the trash. Jared sniffed the air and blinked in surprise. “Are you guys okay? It smells like Azazel burnt Mary Winchester to death in our kitchen instead of in her son’s room.”</p>
<p>                Mag rewarded Jared’s reference with an eyeroll before she held out Seth’s phone to him. “We’re making cookies. Seth charred his, and mine taste like ass.”</p>
<p>                Jared snorted and took Seth’s phone from Mag. He looked at the recipe with a frown. “You guys know I don’t bake, right?”</p>
<p>                “Yeah, but neither do we, and the bar is on the ground right now,” Seth said as he finally stepped away from the trash can. His expression remained twisted in disgust as he moved to the sink to rinse his mouth out.</p>
<p>                “I literally don’t think it’s even possible to do any worse than we did,” Mag agreed.</p>
<p>                Jared stood still for a moment as he debated, then shrugged and made his way to the counter where Seth and Mag had left the ingredients. It wouldn’t hurt to try.</p>
<p>-000-</p>
<p>                “How the <em>fuck</em>—” Jared muttered under his breath as he stared at his cookies. To be accurate, he was looking at a crusty puddle of cookie soup. The dough had almost been a liquid after he finished mixing his ingredients, though he had continued with the belief that some of the moisture would evaporate in the oven and leave him with something edible. He had been wrong.</p>
<p>                “I don’t know if that’s even safe to eat,” Mag said as she poked at the cookie soup with a knife. It was squishy and gooey, like slime made with too much water.</p>
<p>                After three disasters in a row, Seth, Mag, and Jared gave up on their baking mission. Seth was visibly disappointed over the fact that he wouldn’t be able to make and decorate synth-shaped cookies, but he knew that no amount of frosting or icing could save the abominations him and his partners had created.</p>
<p>                Seth scraped fruitlessly at his charred cookies while Mag and Jared put away the ingredients, did the dishes, and cleaned up the kitchen. When Seth had yet to make any progress by the time they finished, Jared plucked the pan out of his hands and dropped the entire thing in the trash.</p>
<p>                “If half an hour of scraping at one cookie didn’t make a dent, nothing will save that pan,” Jared reasoned.</p>
<p>                Seth’s shoulders sagged in defeat. Since the moment he’d come up with the idea of synth cookies, he’d been so excited that he couldn’t shut up about them. His partners knew that, and they both wrapped him in a hug until his lips twitched upward in a small, comfortable smile.</p>
<p>                Mag was the first to pull away. She left the kitchen without a word, then returned moments later with the keys to their shared vehicle looped around her finger.</p>
<p>                “Who wants to go to the store with me to buy cookies that won’t kill us if we eat them?”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Day 15: Caroling</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Clara drags Connor, Aphrodite, and Hephaestus into singing holidays songs with her in the living room of the Bishara household. However, no matter how many times anyone offers, Raphael politely refuses to join in. Later, though, Connor just might get the chance to hear his angel sing.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>WARNING: May contain slight spoilers for <em> Paradisa </em></p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="MsoNormal">                <em>Jingle bells, jingle bells</em></p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                Jingle all the way</em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                Oh, what fun it is to ride</em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                In a one horse open sleigh</em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">                There was a smirk on Clara’s face when <em>Jingle Bells</em> erupted loudly from her phone.</p><p class="MsoNormal">                Connor rolled his eyes dramatically. “Cut it out, Clara,” he groaned. “It’s only the fifteenth.”</p><p class="MsoNormal">                Clara stuck her tongue out at her brother defiantly as she turned up the volume of the music. “Grinch!”</p><p class="MsoNormal">                Before Connor could throw a retort back, he was interrupted by Aphrodite. The goddess clapped her hands excitedly.</p><p class="MsoNormal">                “Wait, I love this song!” Aphrodite exclaimed. When a new verse began, she started to sing along.</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">                <em>“Hey, jingle bells, jingle bells</em></p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                Jingle all the way</em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                Oh, what fun it is to ride</em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                In a one horse open sleigh!”</em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">                Clara joined Aphrodite on the next verse.</p><p class="MsoNormal">                <em>“Jingle bells, jingle bells</em></p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                Jingle all the way</em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                Oh, what fun it is to ride</em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                In a one horse open sleigh!”</em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">               </p><p class="MsoNormal">                The song ended, though the grins on Clara and Aphrodite’s faces remained.</p><p class="MsoNormal">                “No sane person would ever believe me if I told them I sang <em>Jingle Bells</em> with a Greek goddess, but <em>holy shit I just sang jingle bells with a Greek goddess</em>!” Clara took a slow, deep breath to calm her racing heart.</p><p class="MsoNormal">                “Actually, <em>Aphrodite</em> sang. You were yelling,” Connor corrected. He smirked when Clara strained to reach him from the sofa she was seated on with Aphrodite and Hephaestus. She kicked at the air, though she ultimately failed to reach her brother.</p><p class="MsoNormal">                “What’s the song about the reindeer?” Hephaestus asked after Clara finally gave up on trying to kick Connor.</p><p class="MsoNormal">                Clara looked at her godly companion with a furrowed brow. “Rudolph?”</p><p class="MsoNormal">                Hephaestus shook his head. “No, not that one, though Aphrodite does love that one, too. It is the song about the grandmother and the reindeer.”</p><p class="MsoNormal">                “You mean <em>Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer</em>?” Connor asked.</p><p class="MsoNormal">                “Yes! That one.” Hephaestus nodded. “I find it amusing more than anything else, though I enjoy it.”</p><p class="MsoNormal">                Raphael, who sat on the loveseat with Connor, nudged the human lightly to get his attention. When Connor glanced at Raphael, he was met with a distressed expression on the angel’s face.</p><p class="MsoNormal">                “Someone’s grandmother was trampled by reindeer? Is she okay?” he asked.</p><p class="MsoNormal">                Everyone in the room besides Raphael broke out into giggles they failed miserably to suppress. He stared at them with a mixture of confusion and horror until Connor patted his shoulder lightly and calmed down enough to speak.</p><p class="MsoNormal">                “No one’s Nan was trampled, no. I promise,” he assured. “It’s just a funny song. Well, actually, I think they made a few movies about it too, but… Regardless, no one actually got run over my anything.”</p><p class="MsoNormal">                Raphael sighed heavily in relief. “Oh. Good…” he said, though he winced when the song began playing from Clara’s phone.</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">                <em>Grandma got run over by a reindeer</em></p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                Walking home from our house Christmas eve </em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">                The second line was enough to make Raphael bury his face in his hands. “I understand this didn’t actually happen, but I still find it troubling. Why would anyone make an elderly person walk home alone at night during the winter? It’s cold, they could easily slip on ice and get hurt. No one would have any idea.” His voice was muffled by his hands before he finally sat up again and fixed his gaze on Hephaestus. “How do you find this song humorous?”</p><p class="MsoNormal">                Hephaestus shrugged. “I’ve been trampled by my automatons before. It isn’t <em>that</em> bad.”</p><p class="MsoNormal">                Aphrodite nodded in agreement. “I was worried the first time it happened, but he was okay.”</p><p class="MsoNormal">                Raphael looked no less distressed than he had earlier.</p><p class="MsoNormal">                “<em>So</em>,” Connor said loudly in a clear attempt to change the subject. “Clara, remember that time you tried to convince Mam and Dad to get you a puppy for Christmas by running around the house with a picture of a puppy and singing <em>All I Want For Christmas is You</em>?”</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">                “<em>Connor!</em>” Clara screeched. Her face went red. “<em>Why the fuck you bring that up!”</em></p><p class="MsoNormal">                Connor snorted. “Because it was fuckin’ hilarious.”</p><p class="MsoNormal">                “I was <em>five</em>!”</p><p class="MsoNormal">                “It was funny. It still <em>is</em> funny.”</p><p class="MsoNormal">                Clara glared at her brother, then tapped at her phone. “Fine,” she muttered.</p><p class="MsoNormal">                Moments later, the song began.</p><p class="MsoNormal">                <em>I don’t want a lot for Christmas</em></p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                There is just one thing I need</em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                I don’t care about the presents</em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                Underneath the Christmas tree</em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">                Clara belted out the lyrics along with the song, yelling the lyrics as loud as she could. Lucky for her, no one was home besides those who were in the living room. Had her and Connor’s parents been home, she would have been shut down in seconds.</p><p class="MsoNormal">                Connor began to sing along to the song, though like Clara, he had taken to yelling the lyrics as loud as he could. The two battled to see who could yell the lyrics louder for over a dozen lines until Aphrodite’s voice boomed over theirs. She sang loud enough to drown out Clara and Connor, but she was able to do so without sacrificing her tone. She hit every note perfectly and took no notice when everyone else silenced to listen.</p><p class="MsoNormal">                In the last few verses, Aphrodite’s gaze shifted from random spaces around the room to Hephaestus, who joined her in singing. His voice, while much deeper than Aphrodite’s, was just as clean and smooth.</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">                <em>Oh, I just want you for my own</em></p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                More than you could ever know</em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                Make my wish come true</em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                Baby, all I want for Christmas… is you</em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                You, baby</em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">                The pair went on to finish the song and were rewarded with an applause from their small audience.</p><p class="MsoNormal">                “What other holiday songs do you all enjoy? We should all sing some together,” Aphrodite proposed.</p><p class="MsoNormal">                Hephaestus, Connor, and Clara quickly gave in to Aphrodite’s excitement and began to sing with her as she sang along the songs Clara played on her phone. They weren’t choir material, and Clara and Connor didn’t have the same perfect voices as Aphrodite and Hephaestus, though they could hit most of the notes. All four were enjoying themselves, their lips turned upwards in smiles.</p><p class="MsoNormal">                The only one who never sang a single word is Raphael. He was content with listening, and while he enjoyed the music and the sight of his friends singing together, he refused every offer and deflected every attempt to get him to join in.</p><p class="MsoNormal">                The group sang until their voices began to crack and their throats went dry.</p><p class="MsoNormal">                “Ugh, my throat <em>hurts</em>,” Clara complained with a dry cough. She winced and got up from her seat to get a glass of water. Connor followed.</p><p class="MsoNormal">                “Do any of you need something to drink?” Connor asked halfway to the kitchen with a glance over his shoulder.</p><p class="MsoNormal">                Aphrodite shook her head. “No. Hephaestus and I need to return home, actually. Hephaestus had a project he meant to finish today, and I need to meet with Athena for a discussion,” she explained. “We enjoyed singing with you, though.”</p><p class="MsoNormal">                As Aphrodite and Hephaestus made their exit, Raphael slowly wandered to the door.</p><p class="MsoNormal">                “You okay?” Connor asked when he caught Raphael in the middle of putting on his shoes.</p><p class="MsoNormal">                Raphael nodded and offered Connor a small smile. “Of course. I’m just going for a walk. I’ve been putting off thinking about how to deal with Set recently, and I think I’ve waited long enough.”</p><p class="MsoNormal">                “Just be careful, okay? Let me know if you need anything,” Connor said. He tapped the side of his head while he took a sip of water. “Don’t stay out too late or I’ll yell at you to come back directly through your brain.”</p><p class="MsoNormal">                The huff of laughter that slipped out of Raphael helped to ease Connor’s worry as he watched the angel leave. Still, some unease remained, and not even the high of singing with his siter and their heavenly friends could completely wash it away.</p><p class="MsoNormal">-000-</p><p class="MsoNormal">                Hours passed, and Raphael had yet to return. The sun was dropping fast. It would be dark out soon.</p><p class="MsoNormal">                “I’m going out!” Connor announced loudly in hope that Clara would hear him. He didn’t wait for her response. While he had told Raphael he’d call him to come back, Connor didn’t feel right sitting around and waiting. He <em>hated</em> waiting. He felt better going out to find Raphael himself on the off-chance that something was wrong. At least if Connor collected Raphael in person, if something had happened, he could help.</p><p class="MsoNormal">                Connor walked quickly down the road while scanning his surroundings for a familiar face. His pace hastened when, after a few minutes of walking, he had yet to find Raphael. How far had he walked? Did he actually only go for a walk, or had he gone to another realm entirely? Connor wasn’t sure, and a poke at Raphael’s mind showed him nothing. The angel had built a wall between their minds the way he always did when he was thinking about something difficult he didn’t feel like sharing with Connor.</p><p class="MsoNormal">                The sound of humming found Connor’s ears, and he froze. The voice seemed familiar, though no matter how long he listened, he couldn’t place it. He glanced around, but saw no one. There were thick patches of trees on both sides of the road that obscured his vision.</p><p class="MsoNormal">                Warily, Connor followed the humming into the woods. He moved slowly, aware of every step so he wouldn’t make a sound as he approached the source of the humming, though he nearly gave himself up when he caught sight of the origin.</p><p class="MsoNormal">                Raphael sat against a tree with his eyes closed and his head tilted back against the trunk. He quietly hummed the tunes of the songs Clara, Connor, Aphrodite, and Hephaestus had been singing before he left. The hum cracked at times and was a little breathy, though it wasn’t tone-deaf. Raphael’s humming was nice. Connor might even call it endearing.</p><p class="MsoNormal">                Caught up in listening, Connor stopped paying attention to where he was going until a twig snapped loudly beneath his foot. He froze, but it was too late. Raphael’s eyes flew open and his humming abruptly stopped. The pair’s gazes locked for a moment, then Connor gave up on trying to conceal himself and walked casually toward Raphael with his hands in his pockets.</p><p class="MsoNormal">                “Hey,” Connor greeted. “You alright?”</p><p class="MsoNormal">                Raphael nodded. He looked up at the darkening sky, then stood and brushed away the specks of dirt that clung to his pants. “It’s almost dark. We should go back.” He started in the direction of the house without another word or a glance over his shoulder.</p><p class="MsoNormal">                Connor swallowed a comment on Raphael’s clear deflection of his question and followed him out of the woods. The pair walked side by side along the road in silence.</p><p class="MsoNormal">                After a few minutes of walking, Connor began to hum. It was simply something to break the silence.</p><p class="MsoNormal">                “Is that one of the songs your sister sang with Aphrodite earlier?” Raphael asked.</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">                Connor nodded, then switched from humming to singing softly.</p><p class="MsoNormal">                <em>“Come, they told me, pa-rum pum pum pum</em></p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                Our newborn king to see, pa-rum pum pum pum</em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                Our finest gifts we bring pa-rum pum pum pum</em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                To lay before the king pa-rum pum pum pum</em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                Rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum</em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                So to honor him pa-rum pum pum pum</em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                When we come”</em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">               </p><p class="MsoNormal">                A small smile turned up the corners of Raphael’s lips as he listened to Connor’s quiet singing.</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">                “<em>Baby Jesus, pa-rum pum pum pum</em></p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                I am a poor boy too, pa-rum pum pum pum</em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                I have no gift to bring pa-rum pum pum pum</em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                That’s fit to give our king pa-rum pum pum pum</em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                Rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum</em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                Shall I play for you, pa-rum pum pum pum</em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                On my drum?</em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                Mary nodded, pa-rum pum pum pum</em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                The Ox—” </em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">
  
</p><p class="MsoNormal">Connor stopped abruptly when another voice reached his ears. He looked to the side, and his eyes found Raphael. The angel stared ahead of him, and his mouth moved with the nearly inaudible lyrics.</p><p class="MsoNormal">                “<em>The Ox and Lamb kept time pa-rum pum pum pum</em></p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                I played my drum for him pa-rum pum pum pum</em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                I played my best for him pa-rum pum pum pum</em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                Rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum</em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                The he smiled at me pa-rum pum pum pum</em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                Me and my drum</em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                Me and my drum.”</em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">
  
</p><p class="MsoNormal">                Raphael’s voice was quiet, and it cracked at times just like his humming. There was a slight rasp to it, though Connor didn’t mind. Raphael’s voice sounded nice, and Connor enjoyed listening to it.</p><p class="MsoNormal">                When he finished the song, Raphael had a faint pink tint in his cheeks that darkened when Connor complimented him.</p><p class="MsoNormal">                “That wasn’t bad, like, <em>at all</em>. Why didn’t you sing earlier?” Connor asked.</p><p class="MsoNormal">                Raphael rubbed the back of his neck, and his gaze fell to the pavement. “I’m a warrior, Connor. My entire existence has been about fighting, planning, preparing, and training. There are some beings like myself who take an interest in the arts even if it isn’t a major part of who they are, though I’ve never really had the chance to try any of it myself. I… I’ve never actually sang before.”</p><p class="MsoNormal">                Connor blinked in surprise, then shrugged. “You should do it more often. You seemed to like it.”</p><p class="MsoNormal">                “I did, yes,” Raphael agreed with a small nod.</p><p class="MsoNormal">                The pair’s conversation was short-lived, and they returned to silence. The next one to break it was Raphael.</p><p class="MsoNormal">               </p><p class="MsoNormal">                “<em>Christmas night, another fight</em></p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                Tears we cried a flood</em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                Got all kinds of poison in</em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                Of poisons in my blood”</em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">
  
</p><p class="MsoNormal">When the next verse began, Connor joined in.</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">                <em>“I took my feet</em></p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                To Oxford Street</em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                Trying to right a wrong</em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                Just walk away</em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                Those windows say</em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                But I can’t believe she’s gone</em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                When you’re still waiting for the snow to fall</em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                Doesn’t really feel like Christmas at all</em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                Up above candles on air flicker</em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                Oh they flicker and they float</em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                And I’m up here holding on</em>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">
  <em>                To all these chandeliers of hope.”</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Day 16: Gifts</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Connor finds a figurine of Michael that is meant to be a cheap holiday decoration, but he can't leave the store without it, not when a certain angel back home comes to mind.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>WARNING: Contains spoilers for <em> Paradisa </em></p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>                At first, Connor walked right past it. Four steps away he stopped, then slowly backtracked until he was face-to-face with a shelf full of ceramic figurines at the store. The figurines were mostly in the shape of reindeer, Santa, Jesus, and shepherds. A few were in the shape of angels, one of which had caught Connor’s attention.</p>
<p>                Carefully, Connor reached into the rows of figurines and grabbed one of a winged man who looked up to the heavens with a sword clutched in one hand and the other resting at his side. The figurine was solid white without a speck of color anywhere on it, though Connor didn’t need color or the tag hastily slapped on the underside of the figurine’s base to know who he was looking at. The figurine didn’t look exactly like Michael actually did, but the resemblance was close enough to see.</p>
<p>                “You like figurines?”</p>
<p>                Connor’s head whipped to the side, where his eyes found an older woman standing next to him with a fond smile on her face. She was looking at the Michael figurine in Connor’s hands.</p>
<p>                “It can be so difficult to find figurines of the angels that aren’t chubby children with tiny wings and a halo, and when you do, they’re always so expensive.” The woman carefully plucked another angel from the shelf. She flipped it over in her hands to look at the price sticker on the bottom, nodded in approval, then held it out for Connor to see. “These ones are nice, and they’re affordable. If you’re also looking for a Raphael figurine, they have those here, too. I was needing a new one, myself.”</p>
<p>                Connor blinked at the figurine in the woman’s hand. Like the figurine of Michael, it wasn’t a complete miss, but it didn’t quite look like Raphael. In fact, Connor never would have guessed the figurine in the woman’s hands was Raphael if she hadn’t told him. Maybe it was because he knew Raphael much better than he knew Michael. Connor had only seen Michael a few times, but he had seared into his brain every curl in Raphael’s hair and every crease on his face when his expression changed. Connor wasn’t looking at the figurines for himself, but even if he had been, he knew he would never buy the one that was made to look like Raphael. He already had the real thing sitting in a chair in his room back at his Nan’s house.</p>
<p>                “That’s okay. I just, uh, was thinking about getting this one for a…friend,” Connor said. He held up the Michael figurine for the woman to see clearly. “He isn’t much of a material guy, but he likes angels and stuff, I guess.” The lie rolled easily off Connor’s tongue. After all, he couldn’t exactly say he was buying the figurine for the <em>actual</em> Raphael, and he definitely couldn’t tell some random old lady that the real Michael was dead.</p>
<p>                The woman nodded. “I see. I’m sure he’ll like it.” She gave Connor another smile, then stepped around him and left the aisle while admiring the Raphael figurine in her hands.</p>
<p>                Connor watched the woman go and, after glancing left and right to ensure Raphael hadn’t somehow appeared in the grocery store with him as he was thinking about Michael, set the figurine in the basket that hung on his arm and continued his shopping.</p>
<p>-000-</p>
<p>                When he returned from the store, Connor set the groceries Mam had sent him out to buy on the kitchen counter. He quickly put all the groceries away with wary glances over his shoulder, then grabbed the lone bag that remained and made his way to his room.</p>
<p>                Raphael was still sat in the chair in Connor’s room where he had been when Connor left for the store. He was relaxed in the chair with his arms on the armrests, and his head was bowed slightly. His eyes were closed almost as if he was sleeping, though he opened them when Connor walked in.</p>
<p>                “Hey,” Connor greeted. He paused in front of Raphael and stood awkwardly with his bag in hand. Connor glanced between Raphael and the bag, then all but shoved it toward the angel. “I found something at the store. I thought you might like it.” He rubbed at the back of his neck with his free hand and pretended he didn’t feel the skin growing warm under his fingers.</p>
<p>                Raphael accepted the bag with slight hesitation, then slowly opened it and reached inside. His eyes widened a fraction when he pulled out the figurine Connor had bought. Raphael turned it over in his hands, taking in every detail. “This is…” he trailed off, his voice breathy.</p>
<p>                “Michael,” Connor finished. “I know it doesn’t look exactly like him. I mean, they actually had a figurine of you, too, and it didn’t look right either. I just… I know, even though you’re upset about Michael keeping things from you, you miss him. And even though it’s not even close to the same, I thought you might like it,” he explained with a loose gesture toward the figurine.</p>
<p>                Slowly, Raphael’s blank expression softened and the corners of his lips turned up. “Thank you…” he whispered so quietly that Connor barely heard him. Raphael’s gaze never left the figurine in his hands as he turned it over again and again. His thumb lightly brushed the lines of the figurine’s hair, then his fingers lightly traced the blade of the sword and the curve of the wings.</p>
<p>                The figurine of Michael may not have been completely accurate, and it may have been cheap ceramic from the grocery store, but that didn’t lessen its value in Raphael’s eyes. It would soon find itself in Raphael’s home in Paradisa where it would stay as a reminder of kinder days.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Day 17: Ice Skating</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Gavin gets dragged out to the ice rink by Nines, Tina, and Valerie. He wouldn't typically be opposed to spending the day with his boyfriend and friends, except there is <em> one </em> slight problem: Gavin can't skate.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>                “You’ve gotta be fuckin’ <em>kidding</em> me,” Gavin groaned when Nines parked their car in front of Grosse Point Community Ice. “There’s no way in hell I’m doing this.”</p>
<p>                Nines smirked and nudged Gavin’s arm. “Afraid of a little ice, detective?” he asked, earning himself a near-lethal glare from Gavin.</p>
<p>                The two climbed out of the car and walked to the entrance of the building. On the way there, Gavin grumbled under his breath so quietly that Nines hardly heard him.</p>
<p>                “Note to self; next time, ask Nines where he’s taking me instead of trusting him like a fuckin’ idiot.”</p>
<p>                When Gavin and Nines entered the building, they scanned the lobby for familiar faces.</p>
<p>                “I think they might be running la—”</p>
<p>                “Holy shit Nines, you actually got him to come here?”</p>
<p>                Nines was cut off by Tina’s shocked voice as she and Valerie walked up behind him and Nines while staring at Gavin in disbelief.</p>
<p>                Gavin crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. “He <em>neglected to enlighten me</em> as to what he was planning,” he explained. “Otherwise, I’d be enjoying my day off at home right now.”</p>
<p>                Tina shoved Gavin playfully. “You’ll have fun, trust me. There’s barely anyone here on weekdays, anyway, and judging by the rest of the lobby, we might pretty much have the ice to ourselves.</p>
<p>                Gavin couldn’t hide his grimace as Nines half-dragged him to the front desk, where the group paid the entry and rental fees before being given rental tickets and directed toward the rink.</p>
<p>                The cavernous expanse of the rink room was flooded with bitter cold air. It made Tina and Valerie tug their gloves on tighter while Gavin tried to ignore the way it nipped his skin through his jacket. Nines, being an android, was unbothered. Even so, there was a persistent glow in the back of his eyes as his scanners activated to observe the temperatures of his human friends’ bodies.</p>
<p>                After a stop at the rental booth, the four settled on a bench outside the rink to swap their shoes for skates. Tina and Valerie, who had been skating together for some time, finished quickly. Nines, having done his research on ice skating the night before, easily laced up his skates securely. Meanwhile, Gavin struggled to tie the laces tight enough. He tugged at them and tried to loop them over the barbs on the upper part of the boots, but they kept slipping off. When Nines finally gave in, seized Gavin’s foot, dropped it in his lap, then proceeded to tie the laces for him, Gavin only huffed in frustration.</p>
<p>                Once everyone was ready to go, they found the nearest entrance to the rink and filed in. Tina stepped onto the ice first. She immediately turned back and held out a hand to Valerie, who accepted it and let herself be pulled to her wife’s side. The paused for a moment with a glance back at their friends, though Gavin and Nines each gave them a dismissive wave that sent the two women flying around the rink hand in hand.</p>
<p>                Back at the entrance, Nines stepped onto the ice first. He wobbled momentarily, took a few tentative steps, then glided smoothly out and around. He turned mid-glide and went backwards, then skated back to the door and stopped with ease.</p>
<p>                “I worried that I may be no good at ice skating, considering I’ve never tried it before, though I was able to calibrate my balance rather quickly,” Nines said. He looked at Gavin. “It isn’t as difficult as you might expect.”</p>
<p>                Gavin should have known better than to listen to an android about ice skating. Gavin himself had never been skating before, and he foolishly believed it was easy as he watched how quickly Nines adapted. The fact that ice skating was actually very difficult hit him hard, fast, and cold when he stepped out onto the ice, slipped, and immediately fell.</p>
<p>                “Phck!” Gavin hissed upon impact. He sighed heavily as he sat upright, then glared at Nines when the android held out a hand to pull him up. “Not as difficult as I might expect, huh?” he spat.</p>
<p>                Tina and Valerie finished a lap around the rink and stopped beside their friends as Nines pulled Gavin up off the ice. Gavin nearly fell again the moment he dared to move his foot a centimeter, but he was saved by Nines’ arm catching him around the waist. Gavin quickly pulled Nines’ arm off himself as he insisted he was fine, though he only fell again without his partner’s support.</p>
<p>                “It’s not easy when you first start, Gavin. The only reason Nines hasn’t gone ass-over-heels is because he’s an android,” Tina warned.</p>
<p>                Nines nodded. “I was created to be mobile and steady in all environments, including on ice. I only need a few moments to calibrate my balance when I step on a new surface,” Nines explained.</p>
<p>                Gavin rolled his eyes. “<em>Of course</em> he was.” He slapped away the hand Nines held out in offering and instead slowly scooted backward on the ice until he reached the wall of the rink. His hand found the top of the wall where plastic turned to plexiglass, and he held onto it for dear life as he struggled to his feet. Once he was standing, Gavin looked over his shoulder at his friends with a scowl. “<em>You</em> three can skate. I’m waiting on the bench,” he declared before slipping and tripping his way along the wall until he reached the door.</p>
<p>                As promised, Gavin stepped out of the rink, returned to the bench, and dropped onto it heavily with his arms crossed and his scowl still in place.</p>
<p>                “Well,” Tina began with a shrug, “it was worth a try, I guess.”</p>
<p>                Valerie nodded. “At least we got him to come onto the ice for a minute.”</p>
<p>                Nines stared at his partner on the bench with a worried crease in his brow. Being on the ice was a new experience and he liked it, though he felt wrong just leaving Gavin alone on the bench. He glanced at Tina and Valerie. “You two keep skating. I’ll go sit with him.” Nines didn’t wait for a response before he returned to the door, stepped out of the rink, and returned to the bench alongside Gavin, who frowned when the android sat next to him on the bench.</p>
<p>                “What happened to skating? You looked like you were having fun with it,” Gavin asked.</p>
<p>                Nines shrugged, and his gaze found Gavin’s. “I was, but it didn’t feel right to be out there having fun with Tina and Valerie while you sit and wait for us to be done.”</p>
<p>                After a moment of hesitation, Nines reached for his boots and tugged at the knots. He was stopped when Gavin yanked his hands away and blinked at him in confusion. “What the fuck are you doing?”</p>
<p>                “Untying my skates.” Nines pulled his hands from Gavin’s grip and reached for his laces again. “I don’t think Tina or Valerie would be upset if we went somewhere else to find something more enjoyable for you.”</p>
<p>                Gavin stopped Nines from untying his laces once more. “Hey,” he said to get Nines’ attention. “Yeah, skating isn’t my thing, but you can still do it. I can wait,” he insisted. “I’ll even keep an eye out so I can take a video when you finally fall on your ass.” Gavin smirked.</p>
<p>                The corners of Nines’ lips turned up, and he nodded. “Okay,” he agreed. “<em>But</em>, if you get bored and want to leave, tell me.”</p>
<p>                Instead of answering, Gavin pushed Nines back toward the entrance to the rink. He watched his partner step back onto the ice and take off. A small smile formed on his lips as Nines gained speed, flew past, Valerie and Tina, then began to turn backward, forward, and backward again. Gavin had never felt inclined to watch skating competitions on TV or online, though when it was Nines on the ice, he could hardly look away.</p>
<p>-000-</p>
<p>                An hour passed. Tina and Valerie did a final lap, then one <em>final</em> final lap, before leaving the rink.</p>
<p>                “We have to go. Valerie has a meeting with her new client in less than an hour, and I’ve got a case sitting on my desk at the DPD,” Tina explained as she and her wife slipped off their skates and put their regular shoes back on. “The rink closes in forty minutes, so you guys can stay until then if you don’t feel like leaving yet.”</p>
<p>                Gavin and Nines waved goodbye as their friends left, then Nines began to untie his laces.</p>
<p>                “Wait.”</p>
<p>                Nines paused and looked to Gavin. The detective’s face had a pink tint as he eyed the rink. There were only three people on the ice, which left plenty of room to spare.</p>
<p>                “You want to skate more, right?” Gavin asked.</p>
<p>                After a moment of hesitation, Nines nodded slowly. “I would like to, yes, but I’m not opposed to leaving if you would like to.”</p>
<p>                Gavin shook his head. “No, not yet. We can stay longer. Go back out on the ice, and…” he trailed off and paused as his eyes searched for anything to fix on that wasn’t Nines. “I… I’ll go with you.”</p>
<p>                Briefly, Nines’ LED flickered red. “I thought you didn’t like skating.”</p>
<p>                “I don’t.” Gavin stood with a deep sigh, then shook out his arms. “But sitting on the bench is cold as fuck, and kinda’ boring, and most people left already, so the rink isn’t crowded,” he explained. <br/>I’ll at least try it again. It’s not like Tina and Valerie are here to watch me fuck up so they can remind me how bad I am later.”</p>
<p>                Nines smiled, then he nodded excitedly and stood. He grabbed Gavin’s hand and pulled him to the entrance to the rink, then stepped onto the ice. Nines immediately turned around and held out both hands to Gavin, who hesitantly accepted them as he stepped onto the ice. Gavin quickly lost his footing, though Nines’ steady hands let him right himself.</p>
<p>                Slowly, Nines skated backwards while pulling Gavin with him. The detective’s knees were bent and he hunched over Nines’ hands as he focused on staying balanced while Nines moved them. The two completed a full lap like that, then Nines let go of one of Gavin’s hands. Gavin wobbled and reached for his hand again, though Nines didn’t offer it. He shook his head as he started moving again, pulling Gavin with him once more.</p>
<p>                On their third lap, Nines picked up speed in the middle, then suddenly let go of Gavin’s hand. Gavin immediately windmilled, then dropped down on the ice when his feet came out from under him.</p>
<p>                “Sorry,” Nines choked out beneath a chuckle as he helped Gavin up.</p>
<p>                Once Gavin was back on his feet, Nines let go again. This time, Gavin managed to grab Nines by the front of his coat and clenched the fabric in white-knuckled hands as he fought to stay upright. Gavin carefully leaned in close to Nines’ ear.</p>
<p>                “<em>Don’t let me go or I’ll fucking kill you</em>,” Gavin snarled.</p>
<p>                Nines failed to completely suppress his amusement as he circled around Gavin and came up to his side. Nines grabbed Gavin’s arm, pulled it around his shoulders, then looped his own free arm around Gavin’s waist. For a moment, Gavin tried to pull away, though he stopped when Nines moved them forward.</p>
<p>                “Try to skate on your own. I’ll keep you on your feet,” Nines promised.</p>
<p>                Gavin looked skeptical, though after a moment of hesitation, he took a step. Then another step. Step. Step. Step.</p>
<p>                “Glide, don’t step,”</p>
<p>                Step. Step. <em>Glide.</em> Gavin could feel his skates trying to come out from under him, though Nines’ grip on him held strong. He stayed upright until he was able to find his footing and begin again. Step. Glide. Glide. Glide.</p>
<p>                The pair continued around the edges of the rink, slowly making their way all the way around again and again. The whole time, Nines never let go of Gavin, and Gavin never eased his grip on Nines.</p>
<p>                The sound of a buzzer startled Gavin so suddenly that he nearly fell and took Nines with him, though Nines was able to steady them before they could truly fall. The two watched the few others on the ice make a beeline for the nearest exit and followed suit.</p>
<p>                When they were finally off the ice, Gavin and Nines let go of each other. Cold instantly began to creep into Gavin’s side where Nines had been pressed against him just moments ago, far more warm and comforting. Despite the way the excitement that had been bubbling up inside him on the ice suddenly died, Gavin didn’t utter a word. He kept his mouth shut as he and Nines switched into their shoes, returned their skates, and left the arena.</p>
<p>                In the car ride home, Gavin maintained his silence until they were stopped by a red light. As he and Nines waited for the light to turn green, Gavin’s eyes scanned the world outside his window for something to fixate on as he worked himself up to admitting to something he would never have considered mere hours ago.</p>
<p>                Let’s… We should do that again, sometime.”</p>
<p>                As difficult as it was to admit, Gavin would kill to be back on the ice with Nines warm against his side and the android’s arm wrapped securely around him.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Day 18: Hot Cocoa</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Raphael has an addiction and Connor is not helping</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>                After their big battle against Set, Raphael went to Connor and Clara’s Nan’s house with the Bishara family. There, he was introduced to hot cocoa. Raphael had never had anything like it, not as long as he’d been alive, and it shocked him how good something could taste when it was only a mixture of milk and powder. He couldn’t get enough. The angel drank hot cocoa like a tired business person drank coffee while fighting their way through the work week.</p>
<p>                When the group left the house following a few days of downtime, Raphael never mentioned it, but Connor could tell through their bond that the angel missed his new favorite drink. Connor could feel the way Raphael craved hot cocoa when planning for their next confrontation with Set left him with stress headaches.</p>
<p>                Connor, Clara, and Raphael eventually found themselves unofficially setting up basecamp in Connor’s apartment. It was where they spent most of their time, and it was the place they returned to after a day of work.</p>
<p>                At first, Clara thought nothing of it when she woke up in the morning and went to the living room to find Raphael sipping a mug of hot cocoa. She barely took notice even when it became a daily routine. It was only when she woke up earlier than usual one morning and entered the kitchen to find Raphael in the middle of making hot cocoa that Clara realized what she’d failed to question.</p>
<p>                “Hey, Raphael,” Clara greeted. She rubbed sleep from her eyes and blinked away the bleariness as she watched Raphael mix hot cocoa powder into a mug full of milk. “Hot cocoa again? It seems like you drink that every day.”</p>
<p>                Raphael nodded. “I do. Do you and your brother usually drink a lot of it? When we first got here, he told me there were some packets in the cupboard. Even though I’ve been drinking hot cocoa regularly, and you and your brother also drink some once in a while, we never seem to run out. You two must keep your supply well-stocked.”</p>
<p>                Clara frowned. She drank hot cocoa when she was cold, yes, and Connor liked to drink it sometimes, but… Clara waited until Raphael left the kitchen, then opened the cupboard where they kept their hot cocoa and other drink mixes. She blinked to ensure she was seeing correctly when she found herself face-to-face with a shopping bag packed full of hot cocoa packets.</p>
<p>                “What the hell…” Clara mumbled to herself. A distant thump startled her, and she silently closed the cupboard and inconspicuously searched the fridge for breakfast as if she’d just been peeking at something she shouldn’t have seen.</p>
<p>                Clara’s brow remained furrowed as she made and ate her breakfast. Why did they have so much hot cocoa? Connor bought some once in a while when they ran low, but not once had he ever packed a whole shopping bag full, not even when it was on sale. He usually bought no more than one box at a time.</p>
<p>                As Clara contemplated, Connor entered the living room, and a short exchange between him and Raphael answered all Clara’s questions.</p>
<p>                “Hey,” Connor greeted as he passed Raphael.</p>
<p>                “Good morning, Connor,” Raphael said before taking a sip of his hot cocoa.</p>
<p>                Connor eyed Raphael’s mug, and the ghost of a smile touched his lips. “Are we getting low on cocoa packets? I haven’t checked in the past few days?”</p>
<p>                Raphael shook his head. “No, not at all, though I’ll let you know when we’re almost out.”</p>
<p>                “Great. Thanks.”</p>
<p>                Connor’s gaze never left Raphael even as the angel’s focus shifted when he took another sip of cocoa. There was something warm in Connor’s eyes that told Clara all she needed to know.</p>
<p>                Clara resisted the urge to snort as she rolled her eyes. “Simp,” she muttered under her breath too quietly for Connor or Raphael to hear.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Day 19: Eggnog</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Hallmark movies + a drinking game with eggnog = don't let Gavin do it</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>                “Shit,” Gavin mumbled when he peeked out the window of his and Nines’ shared apartment and was met with a sheet of white oblivion. “The weather guy wasn’t fuckin’ around.”</p>
<p>                Nines stepped up behind Gavin and looked over his partner’s shoulder at the blizzard outside. He couldn’t so much as see the closest building, nor could he see the ground. He’d been monitoring the incoming winter storm for days after meteorologists predicted it would be a historic storm bringing record-breaking snow totals to Detroit. At first, he’d worried. What if it hit while they were at work? If anyone was brave enough to trudge or drive through the storm, Nines didn’t know, as he couldn’t see the roads or sidewalks. He did know, though, that visibility was limited to mere inches. Driving and walking were both dangerous in the current conditions. Thankfully, Nines didn’t need to make a plan. He and Gavin, along with seventy percent of the DPD staff, had been called off by Fowler when the storm hit early in the morning.</p>
<p>                After a minute of watching the snow pour down outsides, Gavin left the window in favor of dropping lazily on the couch. “What do you wanna do? We’ve got the whole day to kill now,” he asked with a glance at Nines while he stretched out across the couch.</p>
<p>                Nines shrugged. “I would say we should work on our case from home, but we left our tablets at the precinct, so that won’t be possible.” His brow furrowed and his LED went yellow as he explored their limited options. They were stuck at home and couldn’t leave. Their work tablets were at the DPD. Neither of them had any hobbies they could pass the time with.</p>
<p>                A whistle drew Nines from his thoughts. His eyes found Gavin who was still laying on the couch, though now he was wagging the TV remote. “Shitty TV?”</p>
<p>                For a moment, Nines hesitated. He wasn’t particularly fond of most TV shows and movies. He didn’t exactly <em>want</em> to spend his surprise day off watching something so poorly written that a drunk cat could do better, though he couldn’t think of anything else to do.</p>
<p>                Nines gave in reluctantly. He stepped away from the window and made for the couch.</p>
<p>                “Move your feet.”</p>
<p>-000-</p>
<p>                The day passed in a haze of white-out windows and the same weak plot recycled with different characters on TV. Gavin and Nines had hardly budged from the couch all day.</p>
<p>                “These shows fuckin’ suck,” Gavin complained when yet another garbage show ended and the credits rolled on the screen. He looked at the window, which was now blacked out in the absence of the sun. “Literally staring at the window is more interesting than watching this shit.”</p>
<p>                Nines nodded in agreement. “I’ve been analyzing everything we watched today, and they’re all…too similar. How has no one been caught for copyright infringement as of yet?” he asked.</p>
<p>                “Everyone’s doing the exact same shit. They probably don’t know who actually did it first, and no one will lay a single <em>finger</em> on major production companies even if they outright steal something,” Gavin explained.</p>
<p>                “Fair.”</p>
<p>                The two went quiet when the next program began. However, Gavin groaned loudly when he realized what was on. A quick check of the channel guide confirmed his fears.</p>
<p>                “The fuckin’ <em>Hallmark</em> movies? Are you fuckin’ kidding me?”</p>
<p>                Nines’ LED went yellow as he fixed Gavin with a confused look. “What…is a Hallmark movie?” he asked slowly, though he nearly regretted his question the moment he spoke it when Gavin’s face scrunched up in disgust.</p>
<p>                “Usually, it’s holiday bullshit with some straight white couple falling in love, except some shitty drama shows up in the middle to make you think they won’t make it, but they always pull through in the end.” Gavin made a fake gagging motion before he got up from the couch and made his way to the kitchen. He returned moments later with a shot glass and a red and green carton.</p>
<p>                “Eggnog?” Nines looked between Gavin and the carton curiously. He had no idea Gavin had even bought the stuff, let alone that he drank it. Maybe it was because Gavin wasn’t a holiday person, but it had never crossed Nines’ mind that his partner might enjoy the odd beverage.</p>
<p>                Gavin dropped unceremoniously back into his seat on the couch. He set his shot glass and the carton on the coffee table, then sat back to watch the movie. “Drinking game, kind of. Tina and I used to play it together when we hung out around holidays. Basically, you watch the dumpster fire that is a Hallmark movie, and when one of the two main characters does some dumb shit that’s supposed to hurt their chances of getting a date with the other character, you drink,” he explained all without taking his eyes off the TV. “Whoever pukes first loses.”</p>
<p>                Nines frowned. “But I can’t consume human food, and no one else is here. Who do you intend to compete against?</p>
<p>                “Myself.” Gavin shrugged. “Kill time watching the movies, then kill <em>more</em> time projectile vomiting eggnog into the toilet.”</p>
<p>                “That sounds…very unhealthy.”</p>
<p>                “And? I—<em>Wait</em>—”</p>
<p>                Gavin cut himself off abruptly to pour a shot of eggnog, and he tossed it back while Nines watched him with concern. Gavin pointed at the TV to draw Nines’ attention to the screen, where a young blonde woman frowned slightly as stared at the floor in the elevator she was riding up to her floor of the office building while the man standing across from her watched the door. “When they made eye contact, she smiled, but he didn’t even acknowledge it. He just looked away. Fuckup one.”</p>
<p>                Nines shook his head as he watched the woman exit the elevator quickly without a backwards glance, and when the man in the elevator didn’t so much as watch her go, Gavin took another shot.</p>
<p>-000-</p>
<p>                At the end of the third Hallmark movie, Nines turned off the TV and abandoned the now-unoccupied couch. He crept silently to the bathroom and stopped outside the cracked door. Faint coughing echoed inside.</p>
<p>                “Do you regret your actions yet, Gavin?”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Day 20: New Year's</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The 'New Year's kiss' tradition is foreign to Nines, who only learned about it recently. It is something Gavin has never done, as he had never been with someone who meant enough to him to bother. Midnight brings a new experience for them both.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>                “So, humans actually follow this tradition on a yearly basis?” Nines asked as he eyed Tina suspiciously. He had to raise his voice to be heard over the many others in the crowded bar.</p>
<p>                “Yep.” Tina nodded a few too many times, already a little tipsy from the drinks she’d been downing all evening. She swayed slightly in her seat until Valerie moved her chair closer and slipped an arm around her wife to ensure she stayed upright.</p>
<p>                Nines looked to Gavin for confirmation, and the detective nodded. “Tina and Valerie do it every year. People do it with whoever they’re seeing, or sometimes it isn’t even someone they’re seeing.” Gavin sipped his water. His eyes were willing to rest on anything but Nines as he spoke. “Some people just find a random hookup, or if they have a friend with them, they might do it for shits and giggles.”</p>
<p>                “I see…” Nines said quietly. His LED went yellow and his brow furrowed, earning him a concerned look from Chris, who sat beside him opposite Gavin.</p>
<p>                Valerie reached across the table and tapped the back of Nines’ hand to get his attention. “No need to overthink it, Nines. Some people like the whole ‘New Year’s kiss’ thing, but it isn’t a requirement or anything.” Her eyes shifted to Gavin. “No one is going to make you do anything you don’t want to do.”</p>
<p>                Nines nodded, and Gavin downed the rest of his water. He set his cup heavily on the table before he hauled himself to his feet and gestured toward the bar. “I’m getting pop. Anyone want anything?” he asked.</p>
<p>                Tina gave Gavin a wave. “Shots!” She all but shouted excitedly.</p>
<p>                Valerie grabbed Tina’s hand and lowered it, then shook her head at Gavin. “Could you get her some water? She needs to sober up or she won’t make it to midnight.”</p>
<p>                “Another beer,” Chris piped up. He glanced at Nines’ nearly empty glass of thirium, and added, “another drink for Nines, too.”</p>
<p>                Gavin left without another word. When he was gone, Chris elbowed Nines lightly.</p>
<p>                “You doing okay?” he asked.</p>
<p>                Nines nodded, though he didn’t look up from his drink. “Of course. Why would I not be?”</p>
<p>                Chris shrugged. “You’re so tense that you’d probably end up on the ceiling if someone snuck up on you right now, and you’ve been looking at everyone <em>but</em> Gavin for the past hour. Did you two fight or something?”</p>
<p>                “No! No, we didn’t,” Nines insisted. He drank the last of his thirium and shook his head. “I’m just…preoccupied at the moment.”</p>
<p>                Chris blinked in confusion, though he said nothing else. Instead, it was Valerie who recognized just what had Nines so ‘preoccupied’.</p>
<p>                “You’re thinking about the New Year’s kiss,” Valerie guessed. When Nines’ LED went red, she sighed. “<em>Nines</em>. I’m only going to say this once, so listen, okay?”</p>
<p>                Nines slowly looked up from his empty glass to meet Valerie’s stern gaze.</p>
<p>                “I’ve been listening to Gavin complain about people doing the New Year’s kiss for <em>years</em>. He never misses a chance to bitch about how stupid it is and how it’s just a shitty excuse to make out with someone. I mean, yeah, it is, but my point is—” she waved her hands dismissively. “<em>Gavin</em>—” she nodded toward the bar, “has been glancing at you every ten fucking <em>seconds</em> this whole night, and he hasn’t bitched <em>once</em> about the New Year’s kiss. If you’re worried he’ll be mad if you do it, go ahead and ask him if he wants to do it. I <em>guarantee</em> he won’t. He’ll probably complain about it so he doesn’t sound over-eager or whatever, but he won’t tell you not to.”</p>
<p>                Nines’ mouth was slightly agape by the time Valerie finished talking, though he had no chance to respond before Gavin returned with everyone’s drinks. Nines didn’t say a word as Gavin handed Valerie a water for herself and one for Tina, a beer to Chris, and set a fresh glass of thirium in front of Nines before sitting down and taking a sip of his pop.</p>
<p>                Everyone’s gazes went to Nines when the android suddenly grabbed his glass of thirium, downed the entire thing, then set the glass back on the table all without blinking. Chris, Tina, Valerie, and Gavin all stared silently as if they weren’t sure what they had just witnessed was real.</p>
<p>                It was Gavin who finally broke the silence with a low whistle. “<em>Shit</em>. Might wanna slow down, Nines,” he warned.</p>
<p>                “I’m fine,” Nines insisted tensely and a little too quickly. He finally looked over at Gavin with eyes that were a little too wide and an expression that was a little too blank. “It’s fine.”</p>
<p>                Gavin looked away and took a heavy swig of his pop, unconvinced.</p>
<p>-000-</p>
<p>                Midnight was a minute away. Tina was sober enough to keep up with the count, though she still had enough alcohol in her system that she had unabashedly climbed onto Valerie’s lap and refused to move. She counted down the seconds alongside Chris.</p>
<p>                Gavin and Nines hesitantly met each other’s gazes. They stared, both unblinking. Neither spoke. Neither had mentioned anything to each other about what they could do when the clock struck midnight, not even after Valerie’s speech to Nines. They’d hardly looked at each other all night.</p>
<p>                At thirty seconds to midnight, Nines glanced at Tina and Valerie, then looked back at Gavin.</p>
<p>                Gavin followed Nines’ gaze, and when he looked back at him, he shrugged slightly. The corner of his mouth upturned slightly, and his gaze fell from Nines’ eyes to his lips before climbing back up.</p>
<p>                Twenty seconds to midnight.  </p>
<p>                Nines felt the back of his neck grow hot, and he noticed a slight pink tint in Gavin’s face.</p>
<p>                At ten seconds to midnight, the bar erupted into shouts. Chris, Tina, and Valerie yelled each number aloud as the clock counted down.</p>
<p>
  <em>                Ten.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>                Nine.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>                Eight.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>                Seven.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>                Six.</em>
</p>
<p>                Gavin and Nines barely whispered the numbers to themselves. Their gazes remained locked.</p>
<p>
  <em>                Five.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>                Four.</em>
</p>
<p>                Nines’ LED went from yellow to red.</p>
<p>
  <em>                Three.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>                Two.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>                One.</em>
</p>
<p>                The noise of the bar didn’t reach Gavin or Nines’ ears as the two stood and collided. Their lips met and their eyes closed. They didn’t hear the shouts of others in the bar. They didn’t see Tina and Valerie breaking apart and looking at them in a mixture of pride and shock along with Chris. They knew nothing but each other until they slowly parted, and the rest of the world came rushing back to them.</p>
<p>                Tina slammed her hand down on the table. “CHRIS! TWENTY FUCKIN’ BUCKS!” she demanded.</p>
<p>                Laughter bubbled up in Gavin and Nines’ throats as they watched Chris sigh and dig his wallet out of his pocket. Their moment may have passed, but the pair remained mere inches apart, and the faint, sugary taste of Gavin’s drink lingered on Nines’ lips.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Day 21: Solstice</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>When the sun sets on the day of the winter solstice, Raphael suddenly collapses, and Connor and Clara learn one of the most dangerous secrets about angels.</p><p> </p><p>WARNING: May contain spoilers for <em> Paradisa </em></p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>While trying to think of a prompt, I ended up with an idea/headcanon about the relationship between angels and light. This ended up being kind of like how events like an eclipse impact benders in the Avatar series, but in this case, angels are empowered by light and weakened by darkness. The summer solstice is when they are strongest, and the winter solstice is when they are most vulnerable, as the former has the longest window of daylight and the latter has the shortest.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>                Connor knew angels didn’t have unlimited power. He knew their batteries could run low. He knew they could lose their strength after a strenuous battle, or following any situation in which they used their power too much too frequently. What he didn’t know was that exhaustion wasn’t the only thing that could drain an angel.</p><p>                In the Bishara siblings’ apartment where Connor, Raphael, and Clara stayed while they and their allies planned their next move against Set, in the early evening on the winter solstice when the sun set earlier than it had all year, Raphael collapsed. Something had been off about him all day. It showed in the way he seemed to lean on things when he usually would have simply stood, and the way he blinked slowly as if he needed sleep. However, Connor and Clara had thought nothing of it. Raphael never mentioned it, and they all focused on the task at hand.</p><p>                “Raphael? Hey, Raphael!” Connor called as he knelt at the angel’s side. He shook Raphael’s shoulders and continued to call for him, but there was no response. “<em>Clara!”</em></p><p>                Clara jogged into the room moments after Connor called her, and the moment she saw Raphael on the floor, her face paled. She joined her brother at Raphael’s side. “Wh—What happened?”</p><p>                Connor shook his head. “I-I-I don’t know. He just—He collapsed all of a sudden.” He looked at Clara with a fearful expression she had never seen on him before. Connor had never wanted to let his sister know when he was afraid, but with Raphael suddenly unconscious without any sort of explanation, he couldn’t hide his fear.</p><p>                “…Con-nor?”</p><p>                The sound of a quiet, raspy voice drew Connor and Clara’s attention back to Raphael, who looked up at them through hazy, half-lidded eyes. The angel’s gaze moved constantly as if he couldn’t quite lock his vision on the two.</p><p>                “Raphael?” Connor’s hands found the sides of Raphael’s face, and he cupped it gently in his palms. “W-What happened? What’s wrong?” Connor breathed.</p><p>                For a moment, Raphael only stared. Then, his lips began to move. His voice was so breathy and quiet that Connor and Clara could hardly hear him over the loud pounding of their hearts in their ears.</p><p>                “What…day is it?”</p><p>                Clara’s brow furrowed in confusion as she dug her phone out of her pocket. “Uh, December twenty-first?”</p><p>                Raphael’s eyes fluttered. “The…solstice…” he whispered.</p><p>                “Hey, stay with us!” Connor called out as he lightly tapped Raphael’s cheek until the angel’s eyes opened again. “The solstice—What about it?”</p><p>                Instead of responding, Raphael slowly raised his hand. It stuttered mid-air as he struggled, then it fell heavily against Connor’s temple. Through the pair’s bond, a wave of images and whispers poured into Connor’s mind so quickly that his consciousness flickered. The wave ended as quickly as it began, and Raphael’s hand slid down the side of Connor’s face before falling to the floor as Raphael’s eyes closed once more. They didn’t open again, and his head lolled in Connor’s hands.</p><p>                “Raphael? <em>Raphael!</em> Hey, stay with us, okay? Stay with us!” Connor begged, though his pleas fell on deaf ears. Raphael didn’t wake, leaving Connor and Clara helplessly hunched over his prone form on the floor.</p><p>-000-</p><p>                “I don’t think staring at him is gonna’ make him wake up any sooner, Connor,” Clara said as she leaned against the doorframe of her brother’s room. Her gaze slid between Raphael, who she and Connor had half-dragged to Connor’s room and lain on the bed so he would at least be off the floor, and Connor, who had dragged a chair to the bedside and sat in it with his elbows on his knees and his chin in his palms while he stared unblinking at Raphael.</p><p>                Connor simply shook his head in response, then winced as a sudden headache slammed into him. He faintly heard Clara’s concerned voice calling for him behind a wave of images and voices—the same one that had hit him earlier when Raphael’s hand touched his head. It seemed to last for hours, though when it was over, mere seconds had passed. Connor’s eyes opened to find Clara standing next to him with her hand on his shoulder and her eyes searching his face.</p><p>                “What was that?” Clara asked.</p><p>                “I…” Connor trailed off. He shook his head again. “I don’t—” He cut off when the voices echoed in his ears again and the images flashed in his vision once more. The mess left behind by the wave slowly sorted itself out as Connor’s brain pieced together what Raphael had shown him.</p><p>                “Connor?”</p><p>                Connor slowly looked up at his sister. “A memory…” he muttered, earning himself a confused look from Clara. “A <em>memory</em>. When Raphael touched my head just before he passed out again, he showed me a memory. One of <em>his</em> memories.”</p><p>                Clara continued to stare at her brother with a lost expression that made Connor sigh and shake his head. Then, he began to explain.</p><p>                The voice Connor had been hearing was Michael’s. Michael had been speaking to Raphael as the two stood on an open, grassy hill somewhere on Earth. They looked up at the sky, where the sun shone down on them.</p><p>                <em>‘Light is our ally, Raphael. Light makes us stronger. We tire slowly in the sunlight, and we regain our strength quickly. Without it, we will slowly wither away just as Lucifer has since he was imprisoned in the darkest depths of the underworld.’</em></p><p>
  <em>                ‘Usually, the difference in our strength between the darkness and light is so small that you would hardly notice unless you were paying attention. It isn’t typically enough to turn the tide of a battle, or anything significant as such. There are, however, two exceptions.’</em>
</p><p>
  <em>                ‘The summer solstice on Earth makes us stronger. There is no other day when the sun shines as long as it does then. If, on the day of the summer solstice, you fight a battle you would typically lose, you may ultimately win. It isn’t guaranteed, though it is possible. You will feel as if your power has no limits. It will be as if your strength is inexhaustible.’</em>
</p><p>
  <em>                ‘Conversely, the winter solstice on Earth is one of the greatest threats to us. On that day, the window during which the sun shines is smaller than any other day. You will find yourself weak on that day from the moment the clock strikes midnight. A task as simple as standing will feel like a fierce battle. The moment the sun sets, you will feel as if every ounce of strength you have is suddenly stolen from you. If you aren’t careful, you may even lose consciousness. Your strength will return when the clock strikes midnight once more and the solstice ends, though until then, you are vulnerable.’</em>
</p><p>
  <em>                ‘Never pick a fight on the winter solstice, Raphael. You will lose. You will be weaker than a human until the sun rises the following day. Hide yourself away where no one will see you, and most importantly, never tell anyone about this weakness. This is a rare flaw in our species that no outsider is aware of, and none can ever know. If our enemies learn that we are vulnerable on the day of the winter solstice, they can destroy us. For your safety, and for the safety of all angels, you can never tell anyone. Do you understand, Raphael?’</em>
</p><p>                Clara exhaled slowly when Connor finished speaking. “So, the solstice is pretty much angel kryptonite?” she asked.</p><p>                Connor nodded. “Sounds like it. We might be the only non-angels who know about it, too. I doubt Lucifer would dare tell anyone that he’s weak without sunlight when he was trapped in a place completely deprived of it for a millennia, and Michael doesn’t seem like the type to leak state secrets. I’m sure Raphael kept his mouth shut, too, considering Michael told him to.”</p><p>                Clara and Connor’s gazes returned to Raphael, who had yet to stir. He hadn’t so much as twitched since he lost consciousness, and no amount of shaking or calling his name changed that. Trying to wake him was like trying to wake a corpse. Not even through their bond could Connor reach Raphael. When he sought out the angel, he was met with oblivion. He knew that something was supposed to be there. He simply couldn’t find what was missing.</p><p>                “But he’ll be okay at sunrise, right?” Clara asked.</p><p>                Connor reached out and gently brushed Raphael’s curls away from his forehead.</p><p>                “I hope so.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Yes, I ended this on a cliffhanger. I don't have enough angst in my other Advent fics :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Day 22: Snowmen</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Gavin always feels like he's being watched every time he passes that field even though he knows no one is there. One night, he decides to stop at the field and prove to himself that nothing is there, though he ultimately finds much more than he bargained for.<br/>*Set in an AU where androids are few in number, their existence is not known by the public, and Nines and Gavin have yet to meet</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>                Gavin shivered. Every time he passed that <em>one</em> field on his way to work, he felt his spine tingle in an odd way. He didn’t know what was wrong. For whatever reason, he felt like he was being watched. Even worse was the fact that he knew <em>what</em> was giving him this strange feeling, and it was ridiculous. The source of Gavin’s discomfort was so laughable that he couldn’t mention it to anyone, not even his friends, without sounding like he’d finally lost his mind.</p>
<p>                 It was beyond frustrating, being tortured day in and day out by this <em>thing</em> and this <em>feeling</em>. Gavin couldn’t get it out of his head no matter how much he reasoned with himself. He could spend all day telling himself there was nothing in that field, that nothing was watching him, but a shiver never failed to crawl down his spine when he passed that field.</p>
<p>                After two weeks of suffering, Gavin couldn’t take it anymore. Logic didn’t work. Reason didn’t work. Nothing he did from a distance worked. There was only one thing that just might be able to free him from his paranoia: direct confrontation.</p>
<p>                On his next day off, Gavin waited for night to fall as he brewed his plan. Once it was dark out, enough so that no one passing by on the road was able to see him, he drove out to the strange field. Gavin parked his car on the side of the road, then began to trudge his way across the field with nothing to guide him but the flashlight on his phone.</p>
<p>                The walk to the middle of the field seemed to take hours, but eventually Gavin reached the source of his unease. He stopped in front of a towering figure and shone his light directly upon it.</p>
<p>                Uneven pinecone eyes, a twig curved into a half smile, stick arms that stuck out awkwardly, and a plastic bag scarf filled Gavin’s vision as he stared at the snowman. It was clearly the handiwork of a child, or perhaps a <em>very</em> drunk adult. However, as ridiculous as the snowman looked, staring at it made the hair on Gavin’s arms stand up under the sleeves of his coat. He couldn’t ignore his instincts screaming that something was off about the snowman.</p>
<p>                Gavin took a deep breath. This was a snowman. It was a bunch of snow rolled into huge, bulky spheres stacked upon each other and stuffed full of makeshift ornaments. There was nothing dangerous about it. He could kick it until it was a pile of snow and fallen sticks, and nothing would happen.</p>
<p>                To prove his point to himself, Gavin reached out and shoved the snowman. It didn’t move. He stared at it, puzzled, then reached out to shove it again. The moment his hand touched the cold snow, a small light came to life on the side of the snowman’s head. A tiny, thin blue circle about as big around as Gavin’s thumb glowed lightly in the snow. Gavin stared in confusion.</p>
<p>                As suddenly as the blue light came to life, it turned red. Gavin’s stomach dropped as the snowman began to shake, and he stumbled back with fear in his racing heart as it began to <em>move</em>. Wait, no, it wasn’t moving. Cracks formed on the snowman’s body as chunks and dustings of snow as something <em>inside</em> moved. Whatever that red light was, it was coming <em>out</em>—and Gavin was mere steps away.</p>
<p>                Gavin was frozen in place as the snow fell away. His mouth gaped when the last of the snowman’s exterior hit the ground, leaving behind a <em>person</em>. There was no mistaking it. There was a man <em>inside</em> the snowman, and for a moment, he stood still and silent in front of Gavin with closed eyes. His short, dark hair and long lashes were dusted with snowflakes, and his pale skin stood out starkly from his dark clothes. The only odd thing about him was the red light on his temple. Otherwise, though…</p>
<p>                Just as Gavin’s gaze began to wander, the man’s eyes snapped open. They were blue, much like the light on his temple had been previously, and they <em>glowed</em>. There was light behind them, <em>real</em> light, as they lowered and landed on Gavin, who tried to step back but tripped on his own foot as awe and fear fought for dominance inside him.</p>
<p>                Gavin sat in the cold snow propped up on his elbows as he stared at the man, who stared back. The man clearly wasn’t human, and while the lights told Gavin he was looking at some sort of robot, he’d never seen anything like him before. There was nothing hostile in the man’s eyes, but they were glued on Gavin, and he felt the same tingle in his spine as he had always felt when he passed the field. Something really <em>had</em> been watching. He <em>wasn’t </em>crazy.</p>
<p>                Gavin’s heart clenched as it filled with cold dread. He was in the middle of an empty field, all alone besides the man who had emerged from the snowman, and unarmed. He had no backup, and his phone had no service. He was entirely on his own.</p>
<p>                The man said nothing. He only continued to stare at Gavin with the same glowing eyes and unreadable expression. Gavin stayed silent and stared back. He took in every feature of the odd man who towered over him. The bright, glowing blue eyes, the dark hair, the long lashes, the pale skin—</p>
<p>                The man’s lips turned up slightly in a soft smile, and Gavin’s heart leapt into his throat. <em>No. Oh no</em>. Gavin was alone. He didn’t know who this man was, or why there was a light on his temple and a glow behind his eyes. He didn’t know anything, except that this man was <em>exactly his goddamn type</em>.</p>
<p>                “Shit…”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. Day 23: Mall Santa</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Raphael doesn't understand Santa, or mall Santa, or appropriate places for voicing his worries about child abductions</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>                If Connor had any clue how bad an idea it was to take Raphael to the mall with him, he never would have asked the angel to accompany him in the first place. In fact, he would have done everything in his power to keep Raphael at the house. He didn’t, though, because it never crossed his mind that something as simple as the Santa in the mall could cause such an enormous issue.</p>
<p>                Raphael’s first trip to the mall began without incident. He followed Connor to their destination: a store that sold the candles Connor’s mom liked. The pair picked out a few candles to gift to Mrs. Bishara, and from there they intended to return directly to their vehicle and leave, though the day didn’t go as planned.</p>
<p>                Somehow, Raphael managed to convince Connor to walk with him around the mall so he could see what it was like. Raphael hadn’t spent much time on Earth in recent years, and during his prior visits, he’d always been on some sort of mission. There was never time to simply <em>explore</em>. Connor had ultimately given up on refusing and walked alongside Raphael to make sure he wouldn’t bump into anyone while his gaze wandered.</p>
<p>                When Raphael stopped abruptly, Connor wasn’t paying attention and almost ran directly into him. He paused mid-stride just early enough to avoid a collision before following Raphael’s gaze.</p>
<p>                “What’s that?” Raphael asked with a nod toward a crowd of parents. It was difficult to see past them all, but Connor managed to make out what lay beyond after a moment of watching.</p>
<p>                “Kids visiting Santa.”</p>
<p>                Raphael frowned. “What is a ‘Santa’?”</p>
<p>                Connor glanced up at Raphael with an expression that said he didn’t buy the angel’s question. “You’re kidding,” he insisted, though when Raphael’s expression remained confused, Connor realized he was being completely serious. “You really don’t know who Santa is?”</p>
<p>                Raphael shook his head, prompting Connor to sigh as he searched for the most straight-forward explanation he could think of.</p>
<p>                “Santa is this guy who lives at the North Pole, and every Christmas he brings presents to the kids who were good all year, while the kids who were bad get coal instead of presents.”</p>
<p>                “The entire world? In one day? How?” Raphael asked.</p>
<p>                Connor glanced around to ensure no children were within earshot, then lowered his voice to be cautious. “He isn’t actually real, Raphael. He’s a story. Parents buy their kids toys, keep the presents a secret, then hide them under the family’s Christmas tree while the kids are asleep and pretend Santa brought them,” he explained quickly, earning a nod of understanding from Raphael. “Santa supposedly goes around the world riding in a sleigh pulled by a bunch of flying reindeer.”</p>
<p>                “That’s…an interesting explanation. But what if kids don’t like the presents Santa brought them?”</p>
<p>                “Kids usually write a letter to Santa every year with the presents that they want written in it, and a lot of times they’ll get what they want as long as it’s affordable for their family. Or—” Connor grabbed Raphael’s arm and tugged him forward a few steps until they found a gap in the crowd big enough to see through. “In busy places like malls, someone dresses up as Santa and the kids go sit on his lap and tell him what they want for Christmas. Here, some people dressed as elves—they’re the ones who help Santa make all the presents—take pictures of the kids with Santa for the parents.”</p>
<p>                Raphael frowned. “I see, but… Why are parents so willing to hand their children over to a stranger? Are they not afraid something might happen?”</p>
<p>                “There are, like, a billion security cameras in this building and enough witnesses that no one would be dumb enough to try to kidnap a kid, especially not when they’re dressed in a bright red suit and look drastically different from everyone else.”</p>
<p>                “What if the elves are in on it? There could be a whole plan—”</p>
<p>                Connor cut Raphael off by grabbing his arm and half-dragging him away from the mall Santa. He didn’t let go until they were out in the parking lot next to their car.</p>
<p>                “Raphael,” Connor began after the two climbed into the car and closed their doors. He fixed the angel with an exasperated look. “Please, please, <em>please </em>do not worry aloud about the slim possibility of a mall Santa setting up a scheme to kidnap children <em>while standing in a crowded mall full of children and parents next to a mall Santa</em>.”</p>
<p>                Raphael’s head tilted slightly in confusion. “Why not? Is it not acceptable to be suspicious, especially when thousands of children go missing every year? If not more?”</p>
<p>                “There are times when being suspicious is good, <em>but</em>—” Connor took a deep breath. “Talk like that in the wrong situation, such as next to the mall Santa, and <em>someone</em> will think <em>you</em> are the weirdo, and the last thing we need right is for someone to call the cops on you. I don’t know how the hell to break an angel out of jail, and I don’t really feel like trying.”</p>
<p>                “…Oh.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. Day 24: Scrooge</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Where Gavin doesn't like holidays, but he's still the anti-Scrooge</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<p>                Nines wasn’t one to expect material things. He was aware of what Christmas was and that it was a major holiday in the United States, though not once did he ever think gifts were a necessity. One of the things he’d learned since his deviation was that humans showed that they cared for each other in many different ways. Material gifts were one means of doing so, not the only.</p>
<p>                Despite his lack of attachment to many material things and the way he attached value to actions and words rather than gifts, Nines found himself wandering the streets of Detroit on one of his rare days off in search of gifts for his friends. He knew he didn’t <em>need</em> to buy gifts, but he wanted to. Nines was an observer. He had learned what kinds of things his friends liked, and even though none of them had ever outright told him they wanted a specific thing that they had no intention of buying for themselves, he had no trouble deciding what to get them.</p>
<p>                Nines’ first stop was at a wine shop. He searched until he found Tina’s favorite bottle, which she only ever bought and drank on her birthday. While he had never seen it before, Nines had smelled it on her breath in the past, identified it, and stored the information away for later. The wine was pricey, but Nines didn’t care. He could afford pricey on special occasions.</p>
<p>                The second store Nines entered sold household items. He wandered down the short isles of the small store until he found the shelf that held the store’s pillows. Day after day, Nines had watched Chris enter the precinct with a discreet wince embedded in his expression as he rubbed his aching neck. A quick scan had revealed that Chris’ neck wasn’t aligned properly. The issue was likely in part due to the fact that employees at the DPD spent days hunched over their computers and paperwork, though recurring neck pain in the mornings was often a sign of poor support during sleep.</p>
<p>                After buying a sturdy pillow that offered strong support for the neck during sleep, Nines made a stop at a high-rated chiropractor in the area and bought Chris a gift certificate to go along with the pillow. According to his research, a few visits to the chiropractor would help Chris’ neck, and a good pillow would keep it aligned as it should be, thus minimizing recurring pain.          </p>
<p>                Nines saved the most difficult gift for last. There were many things he could get Gavin: a new jacket that wasn’t fraying along the zipper and wearing out in the elbows, a warm blanket so he wouldn’t shiver in his sleep on cold nights, a coffee maker that worked without being smacked a few times. The possibilities were endless. However, Nines knew Gavin would never trade his jacket, or his blankets, or even his shitty coffee maker for anything new unless they were beyond repair. Like Nines, Gavin wasn’t much of a material person. As much as he denied it, he cared most about sentiment, and anything material that he was attached to was important to him because of the sentimental value.</p>
<p>                It was in an android-owned jewelry store that Nines found the perfect gift. He was aware of the trend of androids making their LEDs into jewelry to give to their significant other, or even close family members, and he liked the idea. The only issue was that he didn’t want to part with his LED. His LED made it clear that he was an android. He had no intention of trying to pass as anything else. Even if playing human wasn’t his intent, he felt like giving up his LED would be exactly that.</p>
<p>                The solution Nines found was a special service offered by that one specific jewelry store. They made jewelry out of android LEDs, though they had extras that had been made but never attached to an android, and the store owner had learned how to sync one of the extra LEDs to an android’s existing one. It took only a ten minute meeting for the store owner to sync a blank LED necklace Nines had chosen with Nines’ LED. Like the other gifts, the necklace was expensive, though Nines believed it was worth every penny. It brought a smile to his face as he thought about Gavin wearing the necklace while the LED charm changed colors with the one on his temple.</p>
<p>-000-</p>
<p>                Nines gave Chris and Tina their gifts Christmas Eve. He had the following day off, as did Gavin, though Chris and Tina both had to work. Since Nines wouldn’t see them Christmas day, he gave them their gifts early, and he left the precinct with a fluttering thirium pump after receiving positive reactions from both of his friends. Chris and Tina also left for the night with gifts from Gavin, who gave Tina a one-hundred-dollar gift certificate for a nice restaurant in town she could visit with Valerie, while Chris received a pair of the newest headphones on the market, which he’d been eyeing for some time but never bought due to the high price.</p>
<p>                During the car ride home, Nines suppressed the urge to smile each time he glanced at Gavin. As much as the detective complained about the holidays, he went all-out on gifts that were surprisingly well-thought-out. Gavin didn’t give himself enough credit for how well he knew his friends and how far he was willing to go for them, not even when the balance of his bank account fell dangerously low following a few expensive holiday purchases.</p>
<p>                While Nines had intended to wait until Christmas day to give Gavin his gift, he found himself unable to contain his excitement by the time the two reached their apartment after work. Nines soon caved and handed over Gavin’s gift early. As expected, Gavin received it with a smile, and he didn’t hesitate to put it on and watch it glow blue like the LED on Nines’ temple.</p>
<p>                What Nines didn’t expect was for Gavin to disappear into the bedroom and return moments later with a medium-sized box that he promptly handed over to his partner. Nines <em>definitely</em> didn’t expect what he found inside.</p>
<p>                “You’ve been looking at them on your tablet for <em>months</em>. I was starting to wonder why you didn’t just buy them yourself if you wanted them so bad,” Gavin explained as Nines pulled a set of shiny, brand new boots out of the box and stared at them with wide eyes.</p>
<p>                “Gavin,” Nines began, “these are…”</p>
<p>                “The boots you’ve been staring at all year? Yeah, I know. I noticed. That’s kind of why I got them.”</p>
<p>                “I mean…” Nines trailed off. He’d been looking at the boots, yes, and he’d <em>really</em> wanted them. They were durable, high-quality, and aesthetically pleasing to him. He also <em>needed</em> new boots, as his current pair were ones he’d had since his awakening, which had been on the brink of falling apart for some time. Nines had held off from buying them due to the devastating price. While the boots weren’t anything designer, they still cost hundreds of dollars. Nines had the money, but he wouldn’t have had much left to buy his friends gifts when the holidays and birthdays rolled around, so he didn’t. He would have been broke for weeks until he got a few paychecks back in his account.</p>
<p>                “You know you can skip the awkward questions and just say ‘thanks’ if you like them, or if you don’t—” Gavin began, though Nines interrupted him.</p>
<p>                “No. No, I love them,” Nines insisted. His bright blue LED indicated that he was telling the truth as he looked at Gavin with wide eyes. “Thank you, Gavin.”</p>
<p>                Gavin shrugged as if the dangerously low number that was his bank account balance didn’t weigh heavy on the back of his mind. He was in no place to make any more major purchases any time soon, though the joyful expressions of wonder on Chris, Tina, and Nines’ faces when they received their gifts was worth the struggle.</p>
<p>                While he wasn’t a fan of holidays and never missed an opportunity to complain about them, Gavin had no intention of holding back. He knew gifts weren’t the only way to tell someone he cared, though he wasn’t known for his way with words and had a knack for remembering the little things. He knew what fancy restaurant Tina and Valerie had visited on their first anniversary. He knew what headphones Chris gushed about even though tuning the man out and forgetting was easier. He also noticed when Nines stared at something just a little too long to be motivated by pure curiosity.</p>
<p>                Gavin looked, he listened, and when the time came, he made sure his friends knew he did just that.</p>
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